My Broken Family
by Nukem999
Summary: Sonic and his friends are transported to Earth and have to deal with the troubles and heartaches of the real world. Plus, help a lonely and lost human with the same problems.
1. Black and White

My Broken Family

Chapter 1: Black and White

Hi there, my name is Matt, Matt Barson. Right now I'm (small laugh) kind of indisposed of, can't really be there to meet you in person. But I just thought maybe if you had a moment of free time, you'd maybe……maybe like to hear my story. I must warn you it's not real pretty and it's got some rough parts, but……you might find it to be quite enlightening. I hope you all enjoy my story, the story of how a drunken old fool got to be lucky.

More Luckier then even the richest man in the world can ever imagine. We begin on a strange world……far, far away……in a place unlike any other…

* * *

The blue skies shine breathlessly beautiful white clouds along the horizon. Luscious green trees and plants breathe in the fresh clean air, free of oil and smoke choking off of fowl chunks of melted machinery. It had been so very long since the lush green planet of Mobius had been freed from the mechanical tyranny of Dr. Robotnik. So many souls had become enslaved to this mad man's robotic armies, forced to mechanize every living creature.

But after more then 10 long, hard years, the valiant Freedom Fighters lead by Princess Sally Acorn and Sonic the hedgehog, the evil of Dr. Robotnik was finally over. The time for war was over and the time to heal has begun. A blue blur suddenly screamed across the grassy plains, blades of grass were shredded into the air by the force of the super sonic blur. Blue quills, red sneakers, and a sparkling smile flashed on that super speeding blue blur.

"Sonic the hedgehog you wait up right this INSTANT" a female voice shouted.

Screeching red shoes suddenly reached a sizzling stop, Sonic blinked his green eyes as a panting Sally Acorn came into view. The beautiful squirrel princess was beyond the definition of physical attraction. Baby blue eyes, luscious dark red hair, a blue vest, blue boots, and a face that could charm the coldest of hearts.

"It's about time" Sally panted softly.

Sonic chuckled "Awe come on Sal, we came up here to relax, sit back, and have fun, why go and spoil mine huh?".

Sally sighed "Running after YOU of all people just to get you to sit down and relax is not what I call fun".

Indeed, Sonic and Sally had decided to take a much long needed break from battling, royal duties, and bot bashing for a little R&R. King and Queen Acorn ran Knothole while their daughter relaxed with her future husband.

Sally smiled as she finally laid out the plaid blanket, watching Sonic's speedy white gloves dish out the food for their picnic.

"This was a way past cool idea Sal, I can't remember the last time I was able to actually sit back and just chill" Sonic said.

The kingdom of Knothole was being expanded now with Robotropolis vaporized thanks to Robotnik's nuclear factories.

Sally smiled "I agree Sonic, plus for once we finally get some privacy.

After all, a girl's gotta get along with her husband sooner or later".

A sweet soft kiss was planted on Sonic's bare cheek; he blushed and chuckled a bit. Just a few weeks ago the King and Queen approved of Sonic's proposal to marry Sally and one day become King of Knothole. Sonic's mouth suddenly drooled at the sight of fresh, spicy, delicious looking.

Sonic grinned "Chili dogs MMM".

The beautiful princess sighed as Sonic stuffed his mouth full of chili sauce.

"Always the romantic eh Sonic?" Sally said.

She watched Sonic gulped down the half munched bun into his mouth.

Sonic smirked "Can't argue with hunger pains. But seriously Sal, I really meant what I said about marrying you. We've been best buds since we were running around saving the day in our diapers. I spent my whole life fighting to stop Robotnik".

Sally sighed a bit "Oh don't remind me Sonic, that bastard's taken too much of our lives away. So much time has been lost, so much pain and suffering, that's why I wanted to have this picnic with you Sonic. I just want to enjoy these little things, these little moments that we never could do or enjoy during the war. Thank you Sonic, thank you so".

Sally stopped half way; Sonic was wiggling his white gloved finger in his ear.

"Huh? You say something Sal?" Sonic asked.

Sally shoved her face right into Sonic's replying "Just kiss Sonic, kiss me".

The princess and speedy hedgehog suddenly locked lips before they could even let a touch of air slip from their lips. Sweet passionate kissing locked the beautiful Sally, and the quick witted Sonic into a lover's entanglement of love, trust, and heavenly bliss. Rosy blushes filtered on Sally's brown cheeks and Sonic's face their hearts beating at super sonic unison.

"HEY SONIC, SALLY" a voice called out, the 2 lovers gulped and broke apart.

The rest of Sonic's Freedom Fighting friends were waving as they quickly approached the picnic site. Tails, Bunnie, Rotor, and even Antoine sat down circling Sonic and Sally admits the picnic blanket.

"Y'all didn't think you could get together and forget about old us now did ya sugar hog?" Bunnie asked.

The lovely rabbit cyborg said with a sweet smile on her young face, her southern accent thick with sweetness in her cowgirl like appearance.

Tails landed from his twin tail hovering, licking his chops at the bounty of sandwiches before his young fox eyes.

"Mmmm PB and J, my favorite" Tails exclaimed.

The purple walrus Rotor sat down beside Sonic blinking behind his glasses.

Rotor smiled "Sorry to run in you like this old buddy. But we figured a reunion was in order I mean after all, were finally free of old Robuttnik".

Sonic pleasantly laughed "No problemo guys, come on and dig in buds".

* * *

Meanwhile as the fearless Freedom Fighters indulge in a long deserved vacation from battling robots, mad machines, and techno tyrants, off somewhere else in another dimension, life was not so good. In fact, life was dreadful, miserable, and down right unpleasant. Dark seedy shadows flicker under the dim, dull light of a poorly lit warehouse. Inside that warehouse a man groans as he stresses his aching muscles to life a massive sized crate.

Tattered strands of black cloth hang loosely over the man's raggedy black coat, the coat seemed to be degrading more and more as time passed. Sweat dribbled off the black arches of the man's ruffled and dirtied hair. The clicking tick tock of a clock banged heavily into the man's brain, quitting time was finally here, 9 PM. Ripped and torn shoes clicked along the floor, held tightly together by strands of black electric tape. This was Matt Barson.

Matt worked hours on end at a local sweatshop warehouse, lugging, carrying, and stacking crates of countless contents into shipping trucks, luggage carts, and storage facilities. Hours were long and heavy, the pay was just enough to pay his bills at home. Funny thing is Matt thought to himself, he had shown up every day on time, worked the toughest jobs, and still was paid like a mouse getting crumbs from day old cheese. It was exhausting.

The greasy barely shaved chin of Matt's boss Larry Lamario, he squeezed his ugly head into view with those beady dull green eyes and black hair. Lamario had short stringy strands of black hair kept in a slick, sloppy image of mixed grease and hair gel. Matt groaned as he walked his sore old legs over to Lamario for his "paycheck" if one would call it that.

"All 36 crates loaded and shipped (pant) sir, I hope I did a good job" Matt said to Lamario.

The ignorantly rude Italian looking man simply rolled his eyes and slapped the paycheck into Matt's hand.

Lamario grunted "Just take the money and get the hell out".

Matt gulped and winced, feeling his hand ache as the check was slapped in. All the days he'd been working here, his body has gotten weaker and weaker. Slowly Matt started to head on out, worn old grey pants following his weak leg movements as he examined the check.

"Um sir?" Matt said.

Lamario groaned, wiping the irritated grease and grime from his already frustrated and flustered face.

"Something's wrong, it looks like 8 percent of my check has been removed" Matt said.

The manager angrily turned to his lowly employee and snorted "There's nothing wrong, I simply penalized you for slacking off".

Matt gasped with bewildered anger at such a statement, "WHAT? What slacking off? I busted my ass working those dam crates. I only took one break; I started here at 9 am for Christ's sake".

Lamario screamed "Shut the hell up you low life son of a bitch, yesterday you got 48 crates up and out the dam door, today it was 36, get the picture? You're lucky I didn't take the pay out of your own hide".

Suddenly all the aching pain was replaced by boundless rage, Matt walked right up to confront his black hearted boss.

"That tears it you UGH" Matt cried out.

The powerful smashing of Lamario's knuckles jamming into Matt's jaw bone easily silenced the man. The 30 year old man dropped to the ground with a screaming cry of pain echoing from his bleeding lips. A thick boot crashed onto Matt's check and ground the paper into tiny bits under its heel.

Lamario frowned "Who gave you permission to even look at me you piece of shit? HUH? My business, my job, my work, I do what I WANT get it? Is this sinking in yet you drunken heap of trash? I must have been out of my mind to help a stupid ass, loser like you. You're a no body, a washed up piece of trash, you got no talents, no skills, no life, and now no job, YOUR FIRED! Now take your sorry ass back to the gutter where it belongs".

Fired, well it's not like it's nothing new to poor old Matt. Ever since he learned how to walk he's been learning the meaning of pain all too well. Preschool, junior high, High school, even college before he flunked out, all filled with painful memories of teasing, humiliation, and physical abuse. Climbing into his rusty green colored ford Contour, Matt sighed as he slowly started the coughing engine into a wheezing start. Matt drove home.

How many times he wondered? How many more times must god keep punishing him for existing? How long will it be before this endless cycle of torture and torment must Matt endure? The man's suffered so much grief he's starting to wonder if perhaps……perhaps god made a mistake giving him life. The lowly road home was lined with darkness coated runaways, street lamps blinking on and off, and a highway that lead to nothingness.

* * *

"MM this is SO good, man Sonic your uncle really does make the best chili dogs" Tail said cheerfully wiping chili sauce from his furry chin.

But Tails true blue buddy however was a bit preoccupied with something else. Beautiful blue eyes of Sally Acorn blinked at Sonic.

Sally asked "Sonic? Hello Mobius to Sonic……what's the matter?".

Small chunks of half munched wet bread dripped from Sonic's opening lips, green eyes reflecting a hole in the sky.

Rotor gasped "Holy schnikes! That looks like a transdimensional poly matrix super solarium worm hole tear in the fabric of time and space".

Sonic sweat dropped "Say what?".

Sally replied "A really big hole to another dimension".

Indeed swirling from the once true blue Mobian sky was a circling cyclone of aqua green. Like a tornado slowly taking shape and shattering through the ground below it, the vortex was heading for Sonic. Bunnie cried out as she barely was able to hold onto her southern belle leather hat, screaming high winds shrieked all around the Freedom Fighters.

"Whoa Nelly! That old girl is spinning faster then a sister twister during a Kansas corn catching contest" Bunnie shouted. Tree branches suddenly snapped off from the hurricane winds, thunder bolts infused their energy into the cyclone.

Immediately Sonic commanded "Everyone, get out NOW".

Not even wanting to think of what might happen if that titan sized tornado got near them, Sonic and his friends quickly started to evacuate. Storm clouds were rapidly sucked into the dark, demonic growing energy cyclone. The speedy blue hedgehog faced his friends with a stern face and a firmer voice.

Sonic said "I got my speed but Tails, you and Bunnie need to use your flying. Pick up Sally and Rotor and fly them out of here as fast as you possibly can. I'll follow you guys on foot, got it?".

Everyone nodded and quickly got into position, Rotor gulped a bit nervously feeling Bunnie's mechanical arm wrap around his purple bulky body. Rotor gulped "Just go easy in the air Bunnie, I get air sick easy".

The sweet hearted bionic Bunnie laughed "Don't worry bout nothing sugar, I'll be gentle as a new born lamb".

Tails twirling twin tails started to hover the fox upwards, arms cupped under Sally's armpits. Red shoes started off the super speedy dash of Sonic the hedgehog, his body becoming a super sonic blur in mere seconds. Both Tails and Bunnie had taken flight, Sally and Rotor being hauled up into the stormy skies as well. SHRAKKABOOM! Tails and Bunnie screamed as they were both struck by a massively large bolt of lighting.

Electricity easily short circuited Bunnie's mechanical body parts, causing both her and Rotor to drop like pile of rocks. Sally quickly flipped her blue boots into action and performed an air dive. Tails groaned as he dropped to the ground, fox fur totally fried and burnt a crispy shade of black.

"HEY guys what's the HUGH OW……hold up" Sonic groaned, face slammed directly into a chunk of churned rock.

Somehow a large tremor had unearthed a powerful chunk of the ground in front of Sonic's path. The hedgehog groaned, peeling himself off the chunk.

Now the Freedom Fighters were stranded with no way out from the deadly energy vortex. Frantically Rotor adjusted his glasses, yellow cap fluttering wildly in the high screaming winds.

Rotor gulped, "B-b-b-but that's impossible. Even a storm of such unnatural creation and full of such unstable energy, can't cause weather patterns to change the same time we try to escape. I mean, it's almost like something doesn't want us to leave".

Wiping his face clean of dirt specks, pebbles, and blades of grass, the speedy Sonic refused to give up.

"Yeah well no second rate storm is gonna hog tie this hedgehog down, SUPER SPEED" Sonic said.

Sonic leapt off his red sneakers, using his speed to perform a super sonic, air born dash. ZAP! A second powerful blast of super charged electricity sliced into a tree, blasting off the tree's largest branch and hurling it right into Sonic. Sonic felt the colossal chunk of wood slamming into his gut and crashing him down back with the rest of the frightened Freedom Fighters.

Sally quickly came to Sonic's aid, "Oh god Sonic are you all right? Sonic please tell me are you okay?".

Groaning Sonic coughed and replied an annoyed response, "Ow".

The green energy cyclone suddenly struck them. The furry friends closed their eyes and screamed, screamed for the final end.

* * *

To be continued…… 


	2. Falling Stars

Falling Stars

Hurricane winds scream and whip around the grassy lands of the picnic area. Sonic groaned at his black and bruised chest as he staggered upwards, eyes wincing at the blinding winds of splintered chunks of stone and wood. Sally hugged her beloved heroic hedgehog tightly as the others did the same. Rotor, Bunnie, Tails, and Antoine hugged tightly.

The French soldier whimpered "Zis is ze end Mon amies".

The dark energy storm approached. Flashing beams of chaos green and ring gold powerfully energized this colossal cyclone of energy. The tornado marched effortlessly towards the hapless Freedom Fighters, as if the storm had only come for the purpose of finding these creatures.

"Don't fret guys, where there's a hedgehog there's a way, I'll think of something guys……I hope" Sonic said.

Sally half smiled "Hey I got an idea" she said.

The gang turned to Princess Sally, she held out the power ring with her brown paw and placed everyone else's hands onto the ring. It was the spare power ring Sonic always kept in his backpack.

Sally quickly explained "No matter what force made this tornado, long as we have this power ring we still have a chance. Everyone grab onto the ring and hold onto it as tightly as you can, that way no one can be separated once the cycle passes through us. Plus the power from the ring will protect us from harm".

Sonic nodded and tightly gripped his white glove over the ring, Tails and the others did the same. With a screaming gush of violent air the tornado slammed right into the young warriors with tremendous power.

"HERE IT COMES, HANG ON EVERYBODY" Sonic screamed.

The force of the tornado yanked Sonic and his friends right off the ground, in seconds they were sent into a spiraling spin inside the tornado. The ring glowed brightly.

* * *

Matt groaned as his tired eyes weakly tried to stay open on the dreary road, finger bones literally shot to hell from all that work.

"Come on say something with caffeine in it" Matt said.

He grabbed a small bottle next to his car seat, he guzzled down the alcoholic contents and tossed it back down. Feeling thrashed, tired, destroyed, and pretty much dead inside and out, Matt had little care to what was happening in front of his rapidly speeding car. To Matt, his life was similar to that of a cockroach's, pointless and meaningless. Black shoes press slightly harder on the gas pedal as Matt speeds down the express way with little reaction.

Slowly Matt turned the radio up higher, trying to wake his dead and dulled senses. Inside Matt's soul felt as empty and dead as his growling stomach. Nothing could grab this poor lost soul's dwindling attention, not even that chaotic green hole opening in the sky.

* * *

Twirling faster and faster, the heroes screamed with their eyes held shut, and hands even tighter. The tornado was spinning so fast everything on the outside world appeared as nothing but a foggy blur.

"How much longer must we endure zis barbaric tsunami?" Antoine asked.

Rotor replied "It's not a tsunami it's a tornado and hopefully if my calculations are correct, bout 1 more minute".

But the longer the tornado took to die, the faster it became. Sonic opened his eyes, preying to god everyone is still able to hold on. Sally, Bunnie looks fine, Rotor looks like he's getting a bit air sick but he's good, and Tails is……NO. Tails screamed as his twin tails were getting sucked deeper and deeper into the cyclone, the tails length are dragging him down.

"Sonic please help me, I can't hold on for much longer" Tails cried out.

A violent gust of strong wind forced Tails to let go from the power ring.

Sonic screamed for his falling friend, "Tails" Sally said as her blue beautiful eyes watched in horror as the poor fox fell deeper into the cyclone. Suddenly brown furry hands wrapped around Tails white gloves, Antoine had grabbed the young boy before he had fallen in too deep. The young coyote is actually using his red boots to hold onto the ring.

"I have gotten you monsieur Tails, pleaze hurry, climb up my body to get ze ring" Antoine shouted to Tails.

At first Tails shook his head no, he hated the fact that someone was risking their life just to save his butt, but Antoine insisted and Tails gave in. KRAKKAROOM! Thundering energies forged into a powerful bolt of lighting that struck the power ring. Tails screamed as he was immediately electrified the instant he touched the ring, the rest of the Freedom Fighters felt the shock as well. Antoine squealed as the blast force shocked him off.

"Antoine, quick grab my OOF" Rotor groaned as a flying stone suddenly bonked his yellow capped head. The purple walrus collapsed and now only Sally, Bunnie, Sonic, and Tails were holding onto the super charged ring. Another bolt of lighting suddenly struck the ring and a golden explosion erupted. Pillars of smoke and gray clouds circled the flying furry friends as they seemingly vanished into the sky. The storm finally began to die down.

Antoine moaned "WAHHHH OOF oh me oh my, I feel like my lunch is about to misplaced".

Rotor replied "It's lose your lunch Antoine, not misplace your lunch".

The purple walrus was stuck upside down in a tree branch. Antoine was below his inventor friend under the very same tree, the cowardly coyote carefully pulled the branch down to help Rotor out of it. However as they looked to the now crystal clear sky, both were wondering.

Rotor and Antoine blinked "What happened to everyone else?".

* * *

Dimly lit highway lights barely kept the dark and dreary old eyes of Matt as he drives on and on. Thundering storms clouds crackle and thunder their wailing cries above the cars passing by, including Matt's.

Matt scowled "Great, first I get fired then I get shit on by a bunch of rain clouds, what's next?".

BUMP! All of the sudden Matt was staring eye to eye with a green eyed, blue colored, giant sized cartoon looking hedgehog.

Matt screamed as he suddenly jammed the wheel to the right, Sonic screamed as his white gloved hands held onto the car's windshield wipers. The thunder storm cloud had some how broken the barriers between Mobius and Earth.

"DUDE SLOW DOWN" Sonic shouted behind the windshield of Matt's car.

Sonic continued to panic and scream, suddenly Matt realized his car was going to go right off the highway. Screeching tires slam to brake as Sonic is hurled off the car and off the highway. The blue hedgehog tried to maneuver a speedy trick to stay afloat, but was falling too fast and ended up landing in the river under the highway. Another thundering burst forced a second creature out of the sky.

Tails gasped as he wavered in the sky "WOAH talk about major tail turbulence".

The force of the dimensional transporting had made Tails too dizzy to stay afloat.

"No way, no way, this isn't happening (slap) this is NOT happening" Matt said to himself.

A massive semi truck suddenly passed by, the driver turned to the side to see Matt and his car crashed into the side of the highway. THUMP! Tails was now plastered on the truck driver's windshield.

The driver screamed "AHH get off, get off".

The driver spun the wheel in all directions. Tails screamed as he flew off just before the truck flipped onto its left side.

Matt's eyes bulged out as the other half of the truck was heading right for him!

"SHIT" Matt yelled as he leapt away from his car.

The truck smashed into it and immediately exploded in a massive fire ball.

Two more powerful blasts surged from the bustling night sky; Bunnie and Sally were suddenly ejected from the night sky. Huge gushing bolts of lighting splashed over the highway car crash, hurricane winds suddenly blast the falling female friends.

"WOAH" "Awe hold on there Sally girl, I got ya" Bunnie said, extending her cybernetic arm out towards Sally's.

ZAP! A powerful thunder bolt blasted Bunnie's robotic arm, she screamed in pain as Sally was propelled away from her.

Sally screamed "SONIC".

She then vanished into the falling phantoms of the shadow filled sky, Bunnie gasped she realized she was heading for the highway.

"Better put the brakes on" Bunnie said nervously.

Jets popped out of Bunnie's robotic feet, bursting gushes of hot air and flames gave slowed Bunnie's landing down immensely. Blaring sirens of arriving cop cars and fire engines stung Bunnie's large ears. Flames, cracked metal, mangled cars, and constant panic filled the citizens locked on this hell blown highway.

Bunnie blinked "Something tells me this ain't no Robotropolis".

The rabbit cyborg was fully aware she was far, far from home.

HONK! A car was racing towards Bunnie, its horn blazing as the driver inside screamed with fear.

Bunnie turned around and growled "Ya'll want to play rough? WELL UGH".

The car's front hood was smashed in by the bionic knuckles of Bunnie's robotic arm. The tremendous force of that powerful blow sent the car skyward, flipping completely over Bunnie's head. CRASH! The car crashed down in front of a most terrified audience.

"Whoops looks like I'm in the lime light this time" Bunnie said.

"Sonic, Sally, HELP" Tails cried.

Bunnie quickly turned to see Tails quickly falling down towards the river. Police Officers surrounded the car crash scene in seconds; every cop aimed his/her gun directly at Bunnie and Tails.

An officer shouted "Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air".

Bunnie blinked "But my hand is my weapon sugar".

"BUNNIE" Tails shouted.

Bunnie said "Right sugar fox, here I come", ignoring the officers.

The cop shouted "OPEN FIRE".

Bullets sprang forth from the officer's guns in a hailstorm of heated metal; they wasted no time in taking down Bunnie. PING!

"ARGH I'm hit sugar fox" Bunnie said, feeling bullets striking and disabling her jet boots.

Tails grabbed onto Bunnie as she too fell downwards, both of them spiraling and dodging to escape the bullet parade. SPLASH, the cops watched as the 2 furry figures landed in the river.

The head officer shouted to his troops, "I want that river circled, surrounded, and locked down. Make sure you keep your fire arms loaded and at hand at all times. We don't know or what were dealing with so take no chances, you, call an ambulance down and clean up this mess".

Officers quickly headed towards a dirt hill next to the highway's breach, heading down to the river. Bubbles started to sprout from the dark waters of the highway river, cops immediately aimed their rifles and pistols at the bubbles.

"We got possible suspect activity here sir" an officer radioed to his chief.

Few moments later both Tails and Bunnie burst their heads out from under the sea.

"FREEZE" the officer shouted.

Bunnie and Tails gulped and raised their hands in surrender. Tails furry cheeks soaked with water dripped down as he stood.

"Take it nice and slow, now drop the weapon and take off those kiddy costumes, SLOWLY" the cop said.

The 2 furry travelers looked at each other in confusion. Neither Tails nor Bunnie wanted to give the cops reason to shoot them, but they had no way of complying with either of their demands.

Tails cautiously answered "But sir were not wearing any costumes".

The cop growled "SHUT IT, whatever game you're playing it's not funny. Now if you don't get those costumes down by the time I count to 3, the next thing you'll be wearing is a body bag".

Bunnie and Tails gulped; the click of the cop's pistols only added to their fear.

"1" the cop started.

Tails whispered "Bunnie what are we going to do? They won't listen to us".

Angrier he continued "2".

"I only wish old sugar hog was here" Bunnie said worriedly.

The furry freedom fighters both closed their eyes and waited.

ZOOM! But before the cop could finish the final fatal number, a rushing sonic blur knocked the officers right off their feet. Bunnie and Tails opened their eyes to see Sonic.

The speedy hedgehog grinned "Awww did you guys miss me?".

"OPEN FIRE" the cop yelled.

Sonic speed dashed away from the cops towards Bunnie and Tails, he grabbed their arms and held onto them tight.

"Time for a ride on the sonic express guys, where's Sal?" Sonic asked.

Bunnie replied "I lost sight of Sally girl when we landed sugar, I think she fell round right over there".

Sonic nodded to where Bunnie pointed and dashed right across the river. The stunned officers watched in awe as they vanished, using super sonic speed to run right across the river.

A pale faced officer stammered "Um……did we just see a talking hedgehog, a robotic rabbit, and a two tailed fox run across the river at warp speed?".

The other officers slowly nodded in response.

"I was afraid so" the officer said.

The rest of the police were rounding up the injured from the disastrous car crash on the highway. No fatalities were confirmed, and the officers were still unable to explain just who or what those furry creatures were. However little did they or Sonic know that there was still one person that DID see them, up close, the very same man that is now walking away from the crash.

Matt gulped "Would someone please tell me what the hell just happened?".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	3. No Vacancy

No Vacancy

"I must be seeing things, yeah, things" Matt nervously ranted to himself, his lone, crazed, broken self.

The bizarre, accident on the highway was the final straw for the young man.

Matt stuttered "First my job, then my car, now my sanity".

Police swarmed across the highway like vultures to a rotting carcass. Bright lights of red and blue lit up the dark sky with electronic fire. Ambulances were hauling car crash victims away, some alive, some not. The clothes Matt wore wreaked of sweat, rain, and pain. Trembling fingers rubbed over a young but tired old face as Matt's body ached.

Matt sighed "Well, at least you know you weren't on drugs or drunk. Ha, who am I kidding, at this rate I could down a bottle of both".

Matt's front door appeared before his weary eyes, the fading color of his bronze doorknob was like a light from heaven.

"Now all I need is a rinse, a meal, and a goodnight sleep and I'll" Matt said.

But before those comforting words could please the man's ears any further, something in the trash was attracting his eyes. A shapely figure drenched in cold rain, a creature in the trash, Matt's trash. The figure was female; the shape alone was proof of that. Hair was long and bright red, beautiful and yet powerful. The skin color was that of an eye pleasing chestnut brown. Yet as Matt's tired eyes examined the figure closer, he realized that was not skin.

Matt choked "Oh my god".

* * *

GAK!

Coughing wheezes gasp out globs of rotten sea water; white gloves relax the blue throat as it continued to empty its fowl contents. The voice of a young lad groaning could be heard as he squeezed water from his twin soaked tails. The voices had belonged to 2 furry creatures known as Sonic and Tails.

Sonic coughed "BLEACH! Oh man, that is one bad taste. Yuck, tastes worse then Rotor's cooking".

Tails squeezed his tails out "Man, I feel like I soaked up every drop of water in Mobius River".

Sonic blinked "Uh I hate to break this to you little buddy, but I don't think were in Mobius River".

Swishing steel legs splashed in the dark globs of blackened water, as Bunnie approached her friends. The rabbit winced as she rang water out of her ears.

Bunnie nodded "I'm afraid sugar hog is right hun, look around".

In all the mass confusion, the storm, the crash, and the police, the young travelers had little time to properly analyze their location. Tails, Sonic, and Bunnie examined the dark highway surrounded with flashing lights and heavily armed humans. Or as they are called on Mobius, "Overlanders". This world was vast; it was large and dark, surrounded by steel and concrete. The bright lights of the city blinded our weary heroes with shock and awe.

This world was unlike anything any of them had ever seen before. This wasn't Robotropolis, this wasn't Echnidnapolis, no, this was a place beyond all imaginations.

Tails gulped "Wow".

Bunnie added "Oh mah stars".

Sonic shook his head "I don't think were in Knothole anymore guys".

Search lights started to dawn over the water logged heroes at the end of the river, familiar voices shouted in the night.

An officer shouted "CHIEF, I see something, over there by the river's end".

The blue hedgehog looked to his friends with deep fear and concern, this didn't look well. Sonic quickly explained that it would be best for them to leave this area. Their first priority was to find Princess Sally, wherever she might have fallen to. Then to find a place where they could be safe from the police.

Bunnie pointed to the west "Sally girl got blown away like haystack in a twister top, I last saw her over in that direction".

Sonic nodded "Good then let's get juicing".

Tails protested "But Sonic, we don't have any idea where we are. We might be in another dimension, a time vortex; we could even be on another planet".

Sonic replied "No choice bud, we've got to keep moving or else those slick dressed overlanders will catch up to us. Besides, there's no telling what might have happened to Sally. The faster we go the faster we find here and find our way back home. Come on guys, let's do it to it".

Bunnie and Tails locked arms with Sonic as he broke off into a super sonic dash, vanishing in a flash of blue dust. Venturing off into the deep, dark, dreadful unknown, everything in that young hedgehog's mind kept coming back to Sally. Hoping, preying that no creep or crook found her before he did. For if they did…….

Sonic growled "Someone's gonna PAY".

* * *

Thundering clouds shatter a world of water upon the dark dreary alleyway, where a lone man lurched in his own confusion. Matt groaned as the water beaded down his sweating brow. Grey eyes flustered with frustration, the young man's mind was clearly somewhere else.

"This isn't happening, this is NOT freaking happening to me" Matt said loudly.

Shoving past trash cans and soaked newspapers, Matt was looking for something in the rainy alley. Matt's Dark wet hair dribbled drops of cold water.

"I must be insane. I'm rummaging through my own trash, stuck in the freaking rain, looking for towels for……GOD what I am doing out here?" Matt said.

TINK! A bent soda can rolled against the watery pavement. Matt gasped as he turned to see the can roll away from a pair of red shoes, followed by a pair of green eyes.

The human whispered "You got to be shitting me", his eyes widening in horror.

Three dark furry shadowy figures were standing right in the center of the dark and dreary alleyway. One was a blue hedgehog, one was a 2 tailed fox, and the other was a cyborg rabbit. Matt screamed as he stumbled backwards.

Bunnie gasped "Whoa, whoa just relax sugar, were not going to hurt you".

Sonic added "Unless you would prefer mixing it up with us".

Matt swallowed "Great, you can talk too, that's just freaking dandy".

Sonic and the others slowly took a step forward towards Matt; he immediately backed away in fear.

Tails pleaded "Look mister we know we look uh……different, but were not here to hurt you. Were just looking for a friend of ours".

A cold gulp of fear sank down Matt's pale white throat, his grey eyes trembling under the pounding blades of icy cold rain.

"Have you seen anyone that looks well, like us?" Sonic asked the man very cautiously.

But the question seemed to upset Matt more then Sonic's actual presence, Matt slowly staggered onto his shaking feet. Bunnie's eyes noticed something clutched in Matt's right hand. A piece of cloth, it was dark blue and drenched in water, it looked like a vest.

Bunnie asked "Hey now, what's that you got in yer'all paw there hun?". Matt looked at the vest and gasped as he quickly hid it.

Sonic growled "That looked like Sally's vest Bunnie".

Matt bit his lip "Now let me explain, you see I ARGH".

Sonic leapt at the man before he had a chance to finish, the young hedgehog grappled Matt's throat tightly. Sonic's soaked white gloves crushed painfully around Matt's trembling throat.

"SONIC" Tails pleaded.

The hedgehog growled "This creep's got Sally, how else do you explain her vest?".

Sonic crushed Matt's neck tighter, the man struggled as he desperately coughed for a breath of air.

"Sugar hog, calm down before you do something you'll regret" Bunnie said.

But the sorrowful thought of losing his beloved Sally was burning too brightly in Sonic's rage filled heart. Sonic didn't know this man, he didn't know his name or where he came from, but all he did know was that he knew where Sally was, and that's all that mattered. Matt pleaded "You don't ERK understand".

"ZIP it, just tell me where she is, now" Sonic said.

Crackling bones started to compact the pressured pressed muscles in Matt's shaking throat. The human pointed to a door right to the very left of Sonic, Matt nodded weakly.

Sonic frowned "Get lost overlander", he dropped Matt to the ground.

The man gasped for air, clutching his soar lungs as he sat there in the cold rain. Tails and Bunnie followed Sonic into the man's apartment, though both had a bad feeling about this.

Sonic turned to the others "Come on guys, its getting cold".

SLAM!

Sonic and the gang entered the apartment, leaving Matt to rot in the rain. But no sooner did they walk 3 steps into the apartment, did Sonic and his friends widen their eyes in shock.

"I don't believe it, Sally, is that you?" Sonic said.

OOF! Matt shouted as he was violently shoved out of the alley and onto the ice cold sidewalk.

The man groaned "Evicted by fur balls, what next?".

Two shadowy strangers appeared, one held a knife, and the other held a pistol.

One of the thugs smirked "What's next, how's about you (loads gun) empty out your pockets pal before I empty out this gun into your face".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	4. Abandon

Abandon

Cold stinging splashes of icy water rained down upon the lumbering mass of frightened flesh, a human, bound by absolute terror. Matt's world had been turned upside down in a matter of hours, and things looked like they were only going to get worse. Two staggering shadows smirking in the darkness, wavering a gleaming blade before the man's frightened gray eyes.

"Aren't you the lucky one today?" the man with the knife said, chuckling a bit.

The man's hair was long, pale blond, and straggly in the drenching cold rain. The thug beside the blonde haired man wore a black cap over his head. Tattoo's wreaked over the cap wearing man; he rubbed his black fingerless gloves eagerly.

Matt gasped "Look guys, I don't want any trouble and I don't have much cash, so what do you say we just relax and don't".

The cap man grabbed Matt and slammed his back into the alleyway, right into a wall. Crunching knuckles plow into Matt's chest, garbled globs of spit and blood flew from his agonizing screams. The blonde man leaped forward and slashed his knife across Matt's chest, both thugs pinned Matt still against the cold, wet, rain soaked stone walls.

Matt cried out "AH oh god, please stop, stop".

The man laughed and struck Matt hard in the chest once more. Wobbly legs stumbled into the cold, wet ground as Matt fell down hard.

The knife man nodded "All right then, get his wallet, then let's deep six the sucker and get lost".

The muggers started to grab towards Matt's pants pocket to get his wallet, suddenly something struck the knife man in the head.

"OW, who the bloody hell threw that?" the man shouted.

A tin can was chucked at the mugger's head.

The cap man blinked "Uh Cliff, you seeing what I'm seeing?".

Cliff turned angry eyes towards the alleyway. But much to Cliff's surprise and annoyance, he saw who threw the can. It was what appeared to be a kid in a blue, cartoon, hedgehog like costume. The creature almost seemed too comical to even be real.

Cliff raised an eyebrow "What the shit is this? Some sort of stupid little joke?".

The hedgehog growled "I'm only going to say it once pal, leave the guy alone".

Cliff laughed "Well Joey, looks like Halloween came early now didn't it?".

Joey gulped "Come on man, I don't wanna cut no little kid, let's just beat it".

The knife man smacked Joey across the head and screamed "Shut you're trap, I'm not taking crap from some 9 year old in a bloody costume. Now, I think it's time we sent you back to bed you little".

Cliff blinked as he saw the blue hedgehog was gone, suddenly the man was knocked right off his feet. Joey blinked as a blue sonic blur suddenly slammed right into his chest.

"AHHHHH" the thug screamed as he flew into the air and crashed his back into a steel dumpster.

Cliff growled as he saw the hedgehog, standing right behind him and smirking.

Sonic smiled "Not bad for a 9 year old, wouldn't you say?".

The mugger screamed and slashed his knife towards Sonic's face, the hedgehog jumped and landed right on his arm.

Sonic smiled "I call this the sonic 600 step".

The hedgehog ran up Cliff's body and slapped his feet over his face. Using super sonic speed to rapidly face slap Cliff over a 100 times with his speedy red shoes. The robber dropped down and cried out in pain, rubbing his throbbing face with enraged frustration.

Joey shouted "I got ya back Cliff".

The man grabbed a rock off the ground and was about to hurl it at Sonic. Suddenly a powerful force yanked on Joey's pants.

"OWWWWW" Joey screamed as he was given an atomic wedgie from behind his back.

A 2 tailed, grinning fox smiled at him as he brushed his white gloved hands clean off Joey's briefs.

"And I got your back too Joey, ha, ha" Tails giggled.

Cliff growled and forgot all about Matt, he tossed his knife away and removed a gun from his pocket.

The robber hissed "That's it blue boy, you're dead".

BANG! BANG! PING! PING! The bullets bounced off, the clanging echo of the clashing metal howled like a scream in Cliff's ears, he gasped in horror. Some girl in a bunny suit just stopped Cliff's bullets. The girl's left arm looked like it was made completely out of metal, so were her legs.

The rabbit smirked "Y'all need to learn to how behave sugar".

Bunnie extended her dark, plum colored robot arm and grabbed Cliff's gun, crushing it into dust in an instant.

Cliff shocked lips stuttered "You're not human".

The robber turned to run, only to receive a metallic kick in the butt from Bunnie's robot legs. Cliff screamed and ran off, a terrified Joey following right behind him. A weakened and exasperated Matt slowly tried to stand on his trembling pain, his body still racked with cuts, bruises, and shivering sensations.

"Uh Matt is it?" Sonic asked.

The man said nothing and simply stared. Matt's heart was beating so fast he could barely hear Sonic's voice.

The hedgehog sighed "Look I know you must be really wigged out right now but, I want you to know that……I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know that you had".

Sonic's apology stopped cold as did Matt's very body. The tired man dropped down to the ground and passed out, exhausted and totally overwhelmed by the excitement of everything that had just happened. A half an hour later, Matt's weary gray eyes slowly opened up in a blurry daze. The human had found himself back in his apartment, and he was surrounded by 3 furry faces.

Tails asked Sonic "Do you think he's going to be okay?".

"CHRIST" Matt screamed as he jerked away in wild panic.

The man's eyes were bulging out with utter horror, his whole world was lost in a bewildering blur of confusion. Sonic and the other creatures moved towards the frightened human. Cautiously, Sonic tried to speak to Matt.

Sonic said "Look chill dude, its okay, were not gonna hurt you".

Matt laughed "Yeah right, that's what you said before you strangled me. Just stay the hell away from me okay?".

Sonic groaned as he clearly felt bad about what had happened, a brown furry hand slapped the back of his head.

"I told you, you shouldn't have acted so hastily like that Sonic, really, you ought to be ashamed" a female voice said.

The owner of that voice slowly stepped into view, it was none other then Princess Sally Acorn. The enchanting, brown, furry princess entered with a dark blue, house hold blanket wrapped around her body, tightly holding it. Matt blinked and sighed into a state of almost total relaxation. Warm red colors painted Matt's blushing cheeks, actually enchanted by the beauty of this other worldly creature. The voice sounded like a sweet, sweet melody.

Sally smiled "I'm terribly sorry for Sonic's actions Matt, he had no idea you took me out of the rain and dried me off".

Tails blinked "You mean he really was trying to help you, not kidnap you Aunt Sally?".

The princess chuckled softly "Of course he wasn't Tails. Although I had to admit, at first, I didn't know what to expect from him. I landed in a garbage littered alleyway, with no idea of where I was or what had happened. Then there he was, just staring at me as I lay there on the ground, soaked, cold, and completely helpless.

Matt took me in and wrapped me in several warm blankets, trying to dry me off as best he could. He promised he wouldn't hurt me and that he would return my royal vest. You see, he didn't want me to catch a cold by staying in my wet clothes. So Matt took my vest and tried to ring it out when he went looking outside for any other blankets or cloths. That's when all of you found Matt and assumed he kidnapped me".

Matt sighed with a glorified gasp of long needed relief, he felt a thousand times better now. The human had simply been misjudged.

Sonic gasped "I'm really sorry about that bro, I had no idea. But that doesn't mean I should have freaked out on you like that, it was totally un-cool, and I hope you can forgive me".

Bunnie nodded softly "All of us".

It seemed clear that these furry creatures were quite friendly, and Matt had already taken a shine to Sally.

The young man half smiled and shrugged it off "It's all right, you're forgiven……eh Sonic was it?".

The hedgehog nodded and smiled.

Bunnie, Tails, and Sally introduced themselves to Matt, and he gladly did the same.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you, though an unexpected one, one that I'm still wondering whether or not I'm high or stone cold drunk or something" Matt groaned.

There seemed to be a lot of confusion going around, for both sides of these fractured groups of friends. Sally sighed and decided that it would be best if she explained how they got here to Matt.

Sally began "Okay, it all started like this"……

* * *

As Matt listened and listened well to the words of the breathless beauty known as Sally Acorn, he almost thought he was dreaming. A mechanical tyrant, enslaved robot minions, freedom fighters, power rings, chaos emeralds, the Kingdom of Acorn, and another planet called Mobius?

The human gasped out loud in exhaustion "Good god that is one hell of a story".

Sonic nodded "And that's how we crash landed here into you're world Matt, we got no idea of where we are or how we got here, or how to get back".

Matt frowned "Well I don't have any damn idea how you guys got here or what caused it, but I can at least tell you about where you are. You're on a planet called Earth, inside a city called Chicago, one of the biggest ones in the United States of America. That is also essentially where you are. Now, I never heard of these Overlanders you mentioned, but we are called human beings. Well, some people don't really deserve that right".

The young man was referring to his despicable boss and the 2 thugs he encountered earlier tonight.

Matt continued "As amazing as your story is, I find it hard not to believe, especially after that little scuffle in the alleyway. But until you guys can find a way back home, I think it would be best if you stay here……with me. Everyone else is gonna think your wearing costumes. If anyone knew the truth, they'd ship you off to freak shows and science fairs. Treat you guys like experiment subjects and lock you up, I can't let that happen.

I don't know how the hell I'm gonna be able to help or why you guys should trust me over anyone else, but I am offering my trust to you now. I would be honored and……(smiles a bit) privileged if you guys would like to stay with me, though I'll understand if you choose not to".

The 4 furry creatures looked at each other and nodded, Sally approached Matt.

Sally smiled and kissed his cheek "I'm sorry to say you're wrong about something Matt, it is we are who are honored. We'd love to stay……with you, thank you".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	5. Overdue

Overdue

Click!

Matt yanked down on the cold chain from his dangling light bulb, a dimly lit guest room was revealed under the rotting darkness of the shadows. The room was small, brownish; and it had the feeling and smell of a cheap motel room.

Matt sighed "Sorry it's not very clean but it's the best I could do on such short notice".

Inside the guest room were 2 small sized spare beds, one blow up air mattress, and a sleeping bag. Sonic and the others entered the room, a little disgusted by the mess but otherwise grateful, Matt sighed softly.

Sonic nodded "This ain't so bad Matt, we'll be able to chill in here no prob. Sally and Bunnie can take the beds, I'll take the bag and Tails can have the mattress".

The gang nodded and seemingly agreed upon those rules. Tingling drops of heated sweat dribbled off Matt's shaky brow, his dark hair was scratched feverishly by his even shakier hands.

The human blurted out "Actually I was going to give Sally my bed".

Matt covered his mouth and slowly tried to breathe. The princess blinked at the human in confusion, Matt's eyes and body seemed utterly racked with pain and stress.

Sally shook her head "No Matt it's fine, really, there's no need to do that. We are after all your guests".

But still Matt insisted "Don't be crazy, you're a princess, I wouldn't be much of a gentlemen now would I princess? Please, by all means, just take it".

Sonic crossed his arms as he watched Matt, the man seemed unable to remain still. Luscious locks of red hair were brushed away from Sally's diamond blue eyes; those eyes pierced into Matt's soul like crystal blue daggers, digging deeper and harder with each passing second, Matt couldn't get them out of his mind.

"All right then, thank you Matt" Sally said.

Matt relaxed a little "My pleasure your highness".

Sally lightly laughed "Please, call me Sally, I insist".

Casually nodding to her request, Matt nodded and headed off to the bathroom and shutting the door.

Bunnie blinked "He's twitchier then a stray cat in a doghouse, mah stars".

Sonic nodded to Bunnie, he too was worried about Matt's unstable behavior.

Tails curiously asked "You don't think he's dangerous do you?".

Sally shook her head "No Tails, I think were fine. I think Matt just needs a little rest, that's all. As a matter of fact I think we could all use a good night's rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll formulate a plan and try and find our way back home".

The hedgehog nodded as the others slowly got into their beds.

Hours later……

Mumbling groans escaped Matt's bewildered face, his eyes flexed open and shut, frantically closing and opening in his midst of his shivering nightmares. Matt gasped as he jerked open from his bed, panting, and covered with sweat.

Matt began to mumble "I don't see anyone, I don't see anyone, I don't see anyone".

The human jumped from his bed and entered the bathroom in a mad dash. Sputtering globs of water filled up Matt's paper cup as he threw open his medicine cabinet, a row of prescribed pill containers lined the cabinet's walls. Matt grabbed a couple containers and unscrewed their caps off frantically.

Matt bit his lip nervously "Just forget, just forget all about it".

Matt gulped down chunks of falling pills, swallowing chunks of water to wash them all down. Minutes passed in the bathroom as utter silence chilled Matt's trembling ears and limbs. Tension filled muscles slowly relaxed as Matt took a heavy sigh of relief. The drugs from the containers had finally taken affect and calmed Matt down. Slowly closing up the cabinet, Matt turned back towards his bed as he wiped his face clean.

Sonic blinked "Craving a late night chili dog Matt?".

Matt gasped "GAH".

Frightened by Sonic's appearance, Matt dropped one of his pill containers on the ground. The container rolled over towards Sonic's red sneakers. The blue hedgehog picked up the tube and examined it, Matt pleaded for him not to look at it

Sonic rose a blue eyebrow "Lexapro, prescribed by Doctor Ferrier. Designed to advocate depression, anxiety, and paranoia?".

Matt yanked the bottle back "I would rather you hadn't seen that".

Sonic frowned "Look Matt I'm no doctor, and I know your world's medicine is gonna be much wackier compared to mine. But I don't need a PHD to tell me that you don't look so hot, what's the matter?".

Matt shook his head "You don't understand".

Sonic smirked "Try me, we are room mates after all".

Matt half laughed "Even so, this is something that you don't need to worry about. I just……need a little release that's all".

"From what?" Sonic asked.

Matt paused a moment before answering "Life, the world, people or rather……lack there of".

The hedgehog teen blinked as he saw Matt tightly grabbing his right arm, his eyes and sunken face shaking with inner sorrow. Matt almost seemed sickened by talking about this subject. Sonic blinked as he saw something shiny inside the bathroom, the hedgehog curiously pushed open the door.

Sonic asked "Hey, what's that shiny thing in the bath tub?".

"No, stay away from there" Matt shouted.

But by the time Matt had reached the door, Sonic had already pushed it open. Inside the bathtub were thousands of beer bottles, cans, and liquor bottles. Drained alcohol and drops of expired booze were smeared all over the crowded tub. Sonic's eyes widened, Matt suddenly slammed the door shut.

Matt pleaded "Please go back to bed now, I'm sure you guys got a lot of work ahead of you tomorrow, so you'd better get some sleep".

The over exhausted human slowly staggered back to his bed without another word spoken, his eyes and face were lost in a drug filled dream. Sonic wanted so badly to try and say something, however as Matt passed the hedgehog's quills, he realized that now wasn't the time to talk. Matt entered the family room and headed towards the couch, but Sonic called out to him right before he flopped down upon the cushions.

Sonic asked "Matt, one quick question and don't worry, it's not about the bathroom. I was just curious, how'd you get those spare beds so fast? Did someone used to stay here with you?".

Matt paused before answering "Good night Sonic".

Dark hair bounced across the cushion pillows as Matt closed his eyes and went to sleep on his family room couch. Sonic regretfully nodded to Matt's words and went to bed, closing the guest room door and slipping into the sleeping bag. But still, the hedgehog's mind couldn't help but wonder.

Sonic sighed "Something tells me our little visit to this place has been overdue, LONG overdue".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	6. Strangers

Strangers

The warm rays of the sun blissfully shined down upon the once dreary and darkened streets of the sleeping city of Chicago. Matt yawned as he stretched out his aching limbs, blinking his flickering eyes.

The man groaned "Oh man what a night, but I wonder if".

Matt turned around and blinked as he heard another yawn, a feminine and softer sounding yawn.

"Ugh, nope, it was real" Matt said.

Metallic toes gently clicked across the floor as they approached Matt.

Bunnie yawned "Hey there sugar, you an early worm too?".

The human laughed and simply smiled at the sweet southern creature, he still couldn't believe everything that had happened to him. In one night, everything Matt knew about reality and life had changed in ways he never even thought possible. Aching muscles cracked as Matt flexed his bare feet on the cold, rough, wooden floor.

Matt smiled "Not usually, but I had a good night's sleep, the best I've had in a long time actually".

The human looked up at Bunnie and almost thought he was still dreaming, in the light, somehow, Bunnie actually appeared as attractive as the women he had always dreamed about. Matt turned his eyes away and blushed. Bunnie blinked curiously and flexed her long brown ears.

"Something wrong sugar?" Bunnie asked, innocently and sweetly as always.

Matt gulped "No, no, no it's n-n-n-n-nothing I just……was looking for my paper. Yeah, yeah, that's it, my paper".

Bunnie blinked "Your paper?"

Matt chuckled a bit "Duh, new guys in town. We have a thing here called a newspaper, it's this well……kind of packet of information that's delivered to people's houses everyday. We use it to find out news about stuff that's going on in the world, the weather, uh look for jobs. Stuff like that. The paper gets tossed out in front of everyone's driveway during the morning".

Bunnie smiled "Well didn't ya'll say so? I'll be glad to go get it for you sugar".

Matt gasped as he realized what Bunnie had meant, the cyborg girl was heading towards the outside world. Bunnie opened the door and started to exit.

"NO, wait, wait Bunnie I forgot to tell you something, you can't" Matt shouted out.

Bunnie nodded "Oh it's no problem at all silly, it's the least I can do".

Matt slapped his face and groaned watching Bunnie cheerfully skip out the door and down his front porch to the streets. The rabbit girl smiled as she spotted the white paper wrapped in plastic. That must be the paper she thought. Bunnie grabbed it and noticed another man coming out of his house to get his paper. Bunnie smiled and waved to him, flexing her cyborg arm. The man's eyes widened and he screamed before running back inside.

Matt groaned "Greeeeat".

Bunnie blinked and entered Matt's house with bewildered look on her young, furry face.

Bunnie shrugged "Golly, what's his problem? All I did was give em a friendly holler".

Matt rubbed his aching temples "Ugh, it's not that simple okay it's……sigh……complicated. You see Bunnie".

Stirring sounds continued as it became obvious to Matt that the brave new world was calling out to his other furry room mates. The man smiled, he spotted Sonic, Tails, and Sally exiting the bedroom and entering the kitchen. Matt nodded and rubbed the sides of his face before standing up to stretch.

Sally smiled "Good morning Matt, sleep well?".

Matt nodded shyly "Very well your majesty, I hope the beds were comfortable enough".

The princess laughed "There fine but please, just Sally, I never was one for all that royal stuffy princess stuff".

Tails scrounged through Matt's cabinets as he was searching for food, his white gloved hands fumbled through containers and boxes. The young fox however was getting discouraged. Tails had no idea if this world's food was anything like his own, and he was getting awfully hungry.

Matt coughed "Oh Tails, if you're hungry I've got some cereal in the cabinets".

Tails blinked "Serial?".

The human scratched his sticky, dark pillow hair, he then grabbed a box of some "Lucky Charms" and poured Tails and Sonic a bowl. Matt then grabbed some milk into them and started to work on his own breakfast. Sonic blinked suspiciously at the cereal bowl, casually poking it with his gloved finger.

"Uh you sure this stuff tastes good? Looks all wet and goopy" Sonic said.

Matt sighed "Just try it you guys, trust me you'll like it. Soon as we get done eating there's a couple things I need to tell you guys about, some rules you need to obey while you're in this world".

Sally nodded "Matt's right, after breakfast we'll discuss our plans for trying to find a way back home".

The 2 tailed fox chomped into his spoon and went bright eyed, smiling eagerly at the marshmallow's flavors.

"MMMMM but first, food" Tails said as he happily ate some more.

15 minutes later……

Matt and the wayward Mobian's were finishing their fill of Matt's average based cooking, though they said it was delicious, Matt seriously doubted his skills. Sonic's mind was still lost back in that dark, dreary little night that he found Matt ranting and raving, lost in a sea of fear and anxiety. The sight of all those empty bottles and those strange pills all made Sonic feel uneasy. Sure, Sonic was worried but he felt Matt was trustworthy, and not a crook.

But something in the hedgehog's mind refused to give up, something that continued to circle around that disturbing night. What had happened to Matt that one late night? What was in those pills? And how long has he been like this? Matt coughed a bit as he tried to get everyone's attention.

Matt frowned "Okay guys, we've got to set some ground rules here. I don't know how long you're gonna be here but no matter how little or how long, we can't have you guys causing a panic. You're strangers in a strange land with creatures who have NEVER seen anything like you guys before.

There gonna freak out, scream, and possibly even get violent. I don't want you guys going anywhere or talking to anyone unless I'm with you. Anyone asks or sees you, just say you're wearing an early Halloween costume or something".

Sonic blinked "But I don't get it. Why do we have to hide who we are from these people? We've got no beef with them".

Matt nodded "Yes but they don't know that. For all they know, you're brain sucking aliens in disguise from the planet Vulcan or something. You guys have powers, destructive and bizarre powers that are only gonna make you look worse.

Just stick with me, do what I do, and I'll keep your guys butts safe until you figure out a way to get back to your world. Last thing you or I need is some wacko with a rifle or a video camera hoping to get their greedy little hands on you".

The others nodded and agreed with Matt's decision. This was a strange, weird new world and they have no idea how it operates or how to survive in it. Sally's first plan of action was to head out towards the highway where they first landed, maybe they could find some clue of how they can get back. Matt and the others headed outside, walking towards the highway crash site.

Sonic grumbled "This hood is driving my spines crazy, I feel like a bug stuck in a cocoon or something".

Matt laughed a little, noticing the trouble Sonic was having with his raincoat. Sally and the others were all dressed in raincoats. This wasn't the best solution to Sonic's appearance problem, but it was the best Matt could do on short notice.

Tails blinked "How much farther till we get there?".

Matt replied, walking towards the highway "Not much. Stay close to me guys, we don't want to attract any".

The human stopped talking as he saw flashing red and blue lights, along with a tangled mess of yellow tape. Matt shoved everyone into an alley and silently cursed "Shit" under his breath. Sally, Bunnie, Tails, and Sonic were pressed against the wall of the alley, Matt begged them to stay quiet.

Sally whispered "What's going on Matt?".

The panicked human regretfully replied "Uh, well, you guys wouldn't happen to have any cops in your world, would you?".

The police were swarming over the highway, they had been there all night and all day, scrounging through mangled cars, baffled witnesses, and all kinds of weird reports. Officers strung out yellow police tape banners across the scene. Helicopters and black suited federal agents circled the highway as people were thoroughly questioned. One officer examined the car Bunnie struck, a perfect indentation of her mechanical fist was on the car's hood.

"And she slammed her fist RIGHT into my car, and I……I just flipped. I hit her at 60 MPH and she flips my entire car over with one punch" the driver said.

Crime scene investigators plucked samples of fur and blood off the ground, steel tweezers grasped around miniature samples of DNA. One gruff, white haired cop blinked at the people plucking up fur samples. The cop was stopped by a woman. Dark short hair, brick red lips, piercing brown eyes, Asian heritage, and a white lab coat covering over a red shirt.

The cop groaned "Rose, how many times do I have to tell you? Get your people out of my crime scenes, this is none of your damn business".

Rose frowned "First off it's Professor, Professor Selene Rose if you don't mind and secondly Frank, I have every scientific right and privilege to inspect any and all interdimensional anomalies and occurrences".

Frank growled fiercely "You've gotta be kidding. This is just a freaking highway accident, nothing more. You can save you're spooky science for the next X-Files convention. Now pack up and get the hell out of here, or I'll cuff YOU and you're people for interfering with private police business".

The Asian woman was just about to snap back at the irritating officer, when she spotted a pair of straggling shadows watching her from afar.

Matt gasped "Crap, guys move out of here, now, NOW. We'll come back later".

Tails cried out as a broken piece of wood tore a piece of his fur off as he was running. Sonic kept his little buddy's mouth shut with his white gloved hand, as he followed the girls and Matt down the alley and out of sight.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Rose called as she approached the alley.

The small chunk of orange fur remained stuck to the busted box in the seedy alleyway. Rose frowned and examined it curiously, she grabbed it with a pair of tweezers she removed from her coat pocket. The woman held the fur sample up to her intrigued brown eyes and stared at it, wondering.

Rose smirked "Something tells me this was much more then a mere highway accident. And as soon as I find out what secrets this little fur ball is hiding, you'll be begging me for my spooky science Officer Frank. Trevor, Grant, pack up, were heading out. I found what I was looking for".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	7. The Tour

The Tour

The roaring engine of Matt's car buzzed loudly down the road as the tires spun across the asphalt. Windows slowly rolled down before the 4 Mobian's widening eyes, Sonic and the others leaned their heads out and gasped.

Matt smiled "Take a look guys; there's a whole new world out there for you. Welcome to Chicago".

Breathless skyscrapers flashed before the dazzled eyes of the four, furry creatures. Thousands of people, hundreds of cars, flashing street lights, beautiful buildings, and a million other sights and sounds too wonderful and bountiful to even begin comprehending. Tails gasped and eagerly pointed to the staggering sight of the enormous Sears Tower building. Even bigger was the sight of the Hancock building, Sonic and Tails stared straight up at it.

Sally's diamond blue eyes sparkled at the sight of the rainbow light colored waterworks that fired from the infamous Buckingham Fountain.

"Absolutely amazing, I've never seen anything as beautiful as that on all of Mobius" Sally exclaimed.

Roaring faces and lights dazzled the bewildered imaginations of the visiting critters, truly, Matt's world was a world unlike anything they could have ever imagined. Bunnie stuck her head out and crooned at the feel of the wind blowing across her ears. The southern belle's furry nose twitched at a plentiful bouquet of delicious scents and smells.

Bunnie hummed "Boy sugar, something sure smells sweeter then a whole hive of honey".

Matt smirked "That's no surprise Bunnie; Chicago has some of the best restaurants around. After a small side trip I'd be more then happy to show you guys around".

The clunking car coughed and hacked, coughing up chunks of smoke and busted car parts as it sputtered it's aching engines across the road. Matt did his best to keep the car's deterioration under wraps. The last thing Matt wanted to do was to cause any more trouble, especially if by some chance Sonic and his friends may NEVER be able to go back home again. Matt managed to park the car stepped out, dropping coins into the parking meter.

"Okay guys, just wear those jackets for now, soon as we get inside you can take them off" Matt said.

Sonic grumbled a bit, struggling with the green kid sized jacket he was forced to put on. Sally chuckled a bit at Sonic as she adjusted her coat. Bunnie groaned as she tugged on the arm sleeve of her purple coat, her mechanical arm got snagged in the sleeve slot.

RIP!

Bunnie gulped "Oops, uh sorry sugar but I uh".

Matt rubbed his face and groaned; Bunnie had ripped the sleeve right off when she pushed her metal arm all the way through. The female rabbit bashfully blushed as she rubbed the back of her ears.

Matt shook his head "Just forget it; those jackets are too small for you guys anyway. There designed for like 6 year olds".

Sonic blinked "Huh? Then why would you have these in the first place?".

The question stunned Matt for a minute, his face turned white and Sonic could have sworn he saw small tears forming in Matt's gray eyes. Matt turned around and quickly recomposed himself.

"Let's just get inside" Matt said cheerfully, or so he sounded.

Sally and Sonic looked at each other in confusion but knowing they could do little about it, shrugged and followed Matt. Bunnie and Tails followed the human as well. The store had a large, yellow, multi colored sign above it, shadowed over by a giant statue of a toy jack-in-the-box. Big red letters spelled out the name of the store. Tails looked at it and tried to read it.

Tails said "FAO Schwartz?".

The building was a massive toy store. Children and parents suffocated the walls of the cramped but colorful store, toys and playful items were stacked and stuffed across every wall and section. Sonic felt kind of nervous being around all these kids, thinking to himself how nuts this place seems to be making these kids.

Sonic asked "Just what is this place?".

Matt replied "It's uh well it's a……it's a toy store".

Sonic blinked "A toy store? Uh thanks for the offer Matt but I don't think video games are gonna get us back home".

Matt groaned "No, no, were not here for that".

"Then what in the Sam heck are we doing here?" Bunnie asked.

Matt ducked down, trying to whisper "Since no one is going to believe you guys are walking talking animals, we've got to make up a cover story. The best I can do is say your kids wearing Halloween costumes. And since you guys are about the size of a kid, I figured kid clothes would fit you best".

Sally nodded "That's a good idea. At least that way we can hide our appearances to a certain degree, without drawing attention to ourselves".

Sonic crossed his arms and frowned "I'm a teenaged hedgehog for crying out loud, and now I've gotta dress like I'm 5 again?".

Sally snapped "Sonic, will you be quiet. We've got to try and blend in here. We don't know how long it's going to take us to get back home, so in the meantime we have got to make due with what we got, ALL RIGHT?".

The princess's firm stone shut Sonic up, despite his silent grumbling. Matt sighed and lead the 4 Mobian's up the escalator to the second floor of the toy store. Matt and the others walked across the electronic, piano floor. A small hallway that had a floor specially coated by a touch activated sound system covered by a plastic carpet designed to look like piano keys.

Sonic gasped as the keys lit up and played a sound as his red sneakers stepped onto them.

"Whoa" Sonic gasped.

Matt smiled "Oh, don't worry about that Sonic. It's a synthesizer built into the floor boards".

The blue hedgehog stared blankly at that statement.

Rubbing his throbbing forehead, Matt tried again "It's a keyboard? You walk on the tiles and they make pretty colors and sounds".

Sonic danced his red sneakers onto the ground a bit more, his eyes and ears were delighted with the musical results. The hedgehog continued to dance and move about. Faster and faster Sonic moved, enjoying each and every colorful musical step.

Sally crossed her arms "Are you done yet, can we go now?".

Sonic smirked "Hang on, I'm really cooking now".

The princess groaned and rubbed her head in annoyance, watching as her boyfriend stupidly amused himself further with the musical toy. Bunnie flexed out her robotic arm and yanked Sonic off the keyboard carpet.

"HEY, come on you guys, I was getting really good at it" Sonic protested.

A few minutes later……

Matt groaned as he stood outside the dressing rooms for the children's clothing department. This was proving to be more difficult then Matt had originally thought, Sonic and Tails were taking an especially long time.

"I feel like a total goof ball" Sonic grumbled.

The hedgehog walked out with a green baseball cap, a dark blue, short sleeved shirt with red sleeves, and a bright neon green pair of shorts. Sally burst with laughter.

Sally giggled "Oh Sonic, that look is DEFINITELY you".

Sonic frowned "Hardy, har, har".

Matt rolled his eyes "Sonic, you've got to find something you like, this is getting ridiculous".

The hedgehog snarled back "Hey give me a break, this is down right embarrassing. Clothes have never been a big thing for most of us".

Matt crossed his arms "Oh don't play that card on me, I don't hear Tails complaining at all".

Sonic raised an eyebrow at that "That's because he hasn't been able to FIT into his clothes long enough to feel embarrassed about them".

"What do you mean?" Matt asked.

Sonic replied "He's been trying to put on the same pair of pants you gave him 20 minutes ago".

Matt nearly screamed as he grabbed at his dark brown hair and ripped at it, grinding his teeth and sputtering silent curse words under his breath. Matt went to the dressing room Tails was in and knocked on it loudly.

Tails shouted "Go away".

Matt replied "Tails, please come out of there, you've been in there for a long time now".

The fox continued to protest "I said go away, I'm not coming out".

"Why not?" Matt asked.

Tails paused briefly before bashfully answering "You're gonna laugh, just go away".

People started to stare and turn their attention towards Matt and Tails, the human laughed nervously as he angrily tried to jerk the dressing door open. Sally barely gazed at the girls clothes. Not a stuffy princess per say, but even the most domestic of girls would fine some of these clothes distasteful.

Sally blinked "Say, this looks kind of cute. Bunnie what do you think?".

The princess held a small blue dress up to her, smiling at the sparkling designs and glittering colors on it. Not bad for a child's outfit, sally thought. Bunnie giggled a bit. The cyborg rabbit was wearing a red scarf with a pair of cut off, jean shorts. Her mechanical legs flexed in the mirror much to Bunnie's delight.

"This world may not exactly be peaches and pie Sally girl, but it sure does have its perks. And I think that'd look real sweet on you" Bunnie said.

WHAM!

Matt finally was able to yank Tails out of the dressing room, despite the fox's infant like resistance. Tails cried and pulled against Matt's arm as he was embarrassed of being seen in the brown pants he was wearing. The dark brown pants were near the point of tearing, due to the fact Tails stuffed both of his twin tails inside the pants.

Matt growled "Were getting these pants, I'm going to pay for them, and then were going straight home".

Tails protested loudly "But I don't wanna".

One of the store clerks groaned as he walked by, wincing at the screeching sounds of Tails child like whimpering.

"I hate it when parents bring their youngest kids to the store, they always cry and scream, control your own kids for Pete's sake" the clerk muttered.

Matt grumbled silently to the clerk's remark as he approached the cash register, he reached into his pocket to remove his wallet. Unknown to Matt, a mother and her 8 year old son were noticing Tails strange behavior. The young boy started to poke his toy plane into Tails behind. The fox cringed; the bulge being poked was where his 2 tails were tightly jammed in.

The boy giggled "HA, HA, look at that, bounce, bounce".

Tails bit his lip and tried not to scream, the more the kid poked the weaker the stitching on the jean shorts became. Sonic growled and Sally whispered at him to just be quiet until they left the store. But as soon as the boy bopped Sonic in the back of his head with his toy plane, Sonic refused to take anymore.

"WILL YOU KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY?" Sonic screamed.

The boy's eyes welled up with tears as the blue hedgehog screamed at him like a savage beast, veins sprouted over Sonic's face like worms. Bunnie and Sally gasped, biting their lips with tension.

Tails gasped "Sonic, you just"

RIP!

The fox blinked as his shorts ripped open and out popped his twin orange tails. The store managers and clerks stared wide eyed at the strange creatures, Matt's wallet dropped to the floor along with his change. The coins clattering sounds echoed loudly in the suddenly silent toy store.

Matt squeaked softly "Oh shit".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	8. Busted

Busted

The coldest of chills passed behind Matt's sweating forehead, and like a roaring volcano, not a single ounce of cold air could dwarf the staggering heat that boiled upon the human's sweating brow. Every person in the store stared at Matt, like a sea of twinkling stars, all boring their razor sharp edges into one single planet, piercing its very identity with a sea of vulture like glares. Matt gulped.

Tails bit his lip gently "Uh S-s-s-sonic, what do we do now?".

The shaking eyes of Matt's trembling face rippled like an ocean's wave, crashing upon the Earth's floor over, and over again. A security guard removed a pair of hand cuffs from his back pocket and moved towards the furry creatures and their "owner".

Matt frantically screamed "RUN".

Sonic, Tails, Bunnie, and Sally screamed as they split into different directions and raced across the toy store, frantically dodging the evading the security guards.

"No, no, not that way" Matt said as he chased after them.

Tails soared into the air on his hovering twin tails. The young fox gasped as a large guard leapt towards him, he quickly hovered to the side and watched as the guard crashed into a shattering sea of board games.

The guard growled "Hold still you rotten little brat".

Tails headed towards the front door, spinning his tails faster and faster to pick up even more speed. The fox boy stopped as he noticed a large, glittering glass container filled with multicolored ball shaped candies. The crystal ball sparkled like a glittering gold coin in Tails' young eyes.

Tails smirked "You guys are fast on you're feet, but let's see you guys keep up with me now".

The gumball machine was thrown to the ground and the glass ball was shattered. Rainbow colored candies rolled across the ground like an oil spill, spewing its suffocating contents across every inch of the floor. The guards gasped and slipped, their black shoes finding little traction on the surfaces of the rolling gumballs. Meanwhile, Sonic was having the time of his life giving the security guards a run for their money, or in this case hedgehog.

Sonic laughed "Come on slow pokes. You're making this too easy, maybe if you guys lay off the donuts once in a while".

One the guards growled angrily at that remark and pulled out his stun gun. The guard fired the electric needles at Sonic, the hedgehog gasped and jammed his red sneakers into a squealing halt. The live electricity danced like wildfire in the hedgehog's eyes, the quills on his back stood up like blowfish spikes.

"Wow, now that's some hot stuff" Sonic said.

The hedgehog continued to dance between isles, and he also continued to run every time those bee colored electrical wires flashed their sparkling, blood red needle pointed tips. Eventually Sonic was cornered down an isle by at least 3 guards.

The center guard chuckled "We got you now kid, the only way out is through us".

Sonic looked around the isle he was in and smiled "Whatever you say".

Sonic's white gloves wrapped around the pink colored handles of a children's bicycle, the shiny colored handle tassels flashed like a pair of blinking headlights from an oncoming car. The guards blinked in confusion.

Sonic smirked "Coming through".

The hedgehog's red sneakers started to spin in a circular motion, faster and faster they moved and they quickly turned into a pair of miniature red cyclones. The blurry movements continued to spin like a pair of circular tops. Sonic dashed forward and crashed through the guards on the bike. The guards cried out as they were tossed into the air like a trio of bowling pins.

HEY!

Princess Sally loudly struggled as a security guard had locked his powerful forearms across her brown, chocolate colored furry chest. The guard's crushing forearms felt like 2 gorilla arms, squeezing the life out of the young princess like a piece of rotten fruit.

"Let me go you big oaf" Sally said.

The guard groaned as he tightened his grip "Quit you're dam squirming squirt. This for your own good, you're going down to the station kid whether you want to or not".

Sally smirked "I choose door number 3".

The princess reared back her elbow and violently jammed it into the guard's gut. The guard clutched his bloated, frog like belly and held the throbbing sack of flesh like a wounded animal. Sally back flipped towards the toy light sabers and quickly removed one from its packaging.

Sally frowned "Stand back, I'm warning you".

The guard's face grew bright red, almost the colored of a ripe tomato as his body roared with laughter. The large man held his bald head as he tried to conceal his irritatingly annoying hyena like laughter.

"Give me a break kid. Now put the tinker toy down, I'm through playing games with you" the guard said.

The furry princess smiled "Oh really? Well how about we play doctor instead? We can start with my favorite procedure".

WHAM!

Princess Sally crashed the toy light saber right between the guard's legs.

Sally smirked "A vasectomy".

The guard dropped to his knees and held his groin, his eyes bulged out like bulging baseballs, veins stretching over them like vinyl stitching. The indescribable pain crippled the man's legs as he collapsed and dropped face down into the ground. The guard slunk down like a sickly, wilted flower. During the midst of all this fighting, Bunnie appeared to be having the least difficult of battles.

"Don't you boys know how to treat a lady right?" Bunnie asked.

The rabbit's cyborg appendages made short work out of the guards. No matter how many or how fast they came, the guards stood no chance of capturing Bunnie with that robotic arm of hers. Matt gasped out a breath of fresh air as he finally managed to track down one of his four furry friends.

Matt sighed "Thank god, I was looking all for you-HEY".

Before the aching human could wrest his weary limbs, Matt's eyes widened in horror, like a pair of swelling plant pods. One of the guards had grabbed Bunnie by her ears from behind, the guard was now literally yanking her off her feet. A red haired guard snarled as he grabbed Bunnie's metallic arm.

The red haired guard snorted "Cheeky little brat, let's see how tough you are without this. UGH. This thing is on there really tight isn't it?".

Bunnie screamed out in pain. The force of the guards trying to remove her metal arm felt like they were trying to remove her brain from her skull, it was down right excruciating.

"Hey, get you're damn hands off of her" Matt said.

Enraged and mortified, Matt charged forward and crashed his aching body right into the 2 guards. Bunnie gasped as the vice like fingers released their hold on her soft fur and her ice cold, metallic limbs. The guards stood back up and grabbed Matt by the neck. The red haired guard smashed his fist into Matt's face.

The guard sneered "Stupid moron, you're only making it worse".

The red haired guard added "Screw this Roy, I'm using the stun gun. That'll give Mr. Hero here something to think about".

Matt gasped as the red haired guard removed a stun gun from his belt and aimed it directly at Matt. Roy smirked as his fellow guard fired the gun, Matt closed his eyes tightly.

CRUNCH!

Bunnie grabbed the device and crushed it beneath her metallic fingers, the stun gun cracked under her fingers like a soda cracker. Shattered crumb sized parts leaked out from Bunnie's mighty mechanical grip. Both guards were completely stunned.

Bunnie scowled "Y'all try and hurt old sugar Matt one more time, and I'll squash you jerks like a pair of pesky mosquitoes".

The Southern belle hurled the guards back with a single toss, Matt was dumbfounded. The human rubbed his eyes and wondered if perhaps he was just imagining how incredibly easily Bunnie handled those 2 guards.

"You okay sweetie pie?" Bunnie asked softly.

Matt smiled "Uh y-y-y-yeah I think so. Thanks Bunnie, no one uh n-n-n one's ever stood up for me like that before. No one except……you guys".

Bunnie sweetly smiled back "Hey, what are friends for?".

The very mentioning of the word friend seemed to ring like sweet music in Matt's ears. The man's eyes glittered like tear drops beading off the leaf of a plant, his heart and soul raced with indescribable feelings of warmth and love. It was as if this weary, lonely, bitter human had never even heard that word before, like his entire life had been completely devoid of friendship.

"Friends, I like that, I like that a lot" Matt said to himself.

A loud alarm went off and Matt quickly snapped out of his sweet, surreal little fantasy. That loud, ear shattering banshee like siren reminded Matt that it wouldn't be long until the police arrived. Matt called out to Sonic and the others and quickly raced towards the front door. The toy store's guards chased after them.

Sonic smirked "Hey Bunnie, how about we give these guys a road block?".

Bunnie nodded "One roadblock, coming up sugar hog".

After the gang exited the toy store, Bunnie wrapped her steel digits across the longest, heaviest metallic object she could find: a parking meter. Bunnie jammed the parking meter into the revolving glass door at the front of the toy store. Loud thunder like thumps hammered against the bouncing, shimmering mirror like surface of the revolving door. Matt sighed in relief.

Matt blinked "Nice work guys I think we…… (Turns around) awe CRAP".

Red and blue colored lights flashed and flickered across the teaming masses of people that gathered around the toy store. Matt started to sweat as 2 officers slowly exited a single police car; he panicked and made a mad dash towards his car.

Tails gulped "Uh oh, not these guys again".

Sonic, Sally, and the other furry Freedom Fighters ran off in the same direction as Matt. The two policemen flashed their curious, invasive dark eyes towards the fleeing furry creatures. The cops raced after Sonic and the others with little reason or thought. Flashing memories of last night's strange accident were vividly burnt into the officer's minds, like battle scar or painful wound resurfacing.

"Get in, get in, get in" Matt insisted as he slammed the car doors shut.

The black doors of the rotting, rusty automobile clanged shut with a screeching squeak, like 4 crowbars prying open a rotted piece of metal. Matt ignited the ignition switch and slammed his foot onto the gas pedal. The cops called out to Matt and cursed bitterly, the 2 men could do nothing but watch as Matt drove away from the scene of the crime.

The left officer sighed into his receiver "We lost him, yeah, yeah I know. Don't worry we got his plates, he's not going anywhere".

A few minutes passed, Matt and the others felt they had driven far enough. Matt stopped the car and panted, his wheezing breath sounding like the choking gasps of an elderly man, breathing his last brief gasps of fresh air before passing into the next life. Bunnie and Tails curiously peered their young eyes to the back window, looking for any signs of police cars.

Bunnie smiled "Road looks right as rain honey, no sign of those cop guys anywhere".

Tails sighed "What a relief, those guys are almost as scary as Swat Bots".

Sonic laughed "Boy I'll say, the only good thing about these guys is that they don't got laser blasters and jet boots. Just be glad you never got to meet some of our world's cops Matt".

The hedgehog blinked as his words went unanswered, Sonic turned around and gasped as his green eyes widened like a pair of rising suns. Matt was passed out, face down into the steering wheel and drenched from head to toe with sweat and pale colored skin.

Sally gasped "Matt, Matt, Matt please wake up".

Sonic screamed "MATT".

To be continued……


	9. Without You

Without You

Author's Note: I'm going on vacation after this chapter, so don't expect any updates until I get back from California. I'll be back on the 18th of June, till then, enjoy!

* * *

"Look, look, I can see his eyes moving"

"Darling get over here, he's waking up"

"Matt, Matt, can you hear me bro?"

Those familiar voice rang like faint church bells in the wake of Matt's blurry, static coated eyes, he felt like he was staring at a bunch of blurry shadows on a snowy TV screen. Matt slowly rose up and blinked his eyes; a throbbing pain rang loudly inside his head.

Matt groaned "Oh good god my head, it feels like someone's doing the polka in there".

Tails blinked "What's a polka?".

The human shook his head "Ugh, forget it; you're better off not knowing. Say uh, are we, are we back inside my home?".

Matt looked around with crackling tension rippling underneath his aching bones, turning to look around and notice the walls of his dreary home. Matt rubbed his throbbing temple and sighed. The last memory that came to Matt's mind was trying to outrun the security guards from that toy store.

Sally looked to Matt "We brought you back inside after you passed out in the car, you gave us quite a scare there Matt".

Bunnie nodded "Sure did sugar, we didn't know what happened to you. Y'all feeling any better?".

Matt grumbled a bit "Well my back is killing me, my head feels like shit, and I got a nasty taste in my mouth, but other then that, peachy".

Sonic and the others reluctantly hanged their heads and stared at their shoes, something was bothering them. The furry creatures were bothered by the remark Matt made about the fowl taste in his mouth.

"Uh guys, what's wrong? You, you didn't get photographed or anything while I was out, did you?" Matt asked.

Tails shook his head "No Matt, its n-n-nothing like that. It's just……something else".

Matt blinked "Well what then?".

Sonic sighed "Matt, who's Billy and Trina?".

Matt's eyes flashed wide open and like a scream echoing from the shadows of death, it chilled the very bones in Matt's body. Those 2 names unleashed a parade of painful memories stinging into Matt's brain like pins and needles. Matt jumped away from Sonic and the others, a look of shock and absolute terror boiled fiercely in his gray eyes as he stared at them coldly.

"How the hell do you know about them?" Matt demanded.

CLINK!

The clattering sound of a small object rolling around the ground caught Matt's attention; it fell out of Sally's vest pocket. Matt bent down and picked up the object before examining it closely.

Matt frowned "This was empty, now it's full, it wasn't full before. Anyone here knowing about where the NOT empty thing here is?".

Tails blinked "Uh can you say that again?".

Sonic sighed "Matt, when you blacked out in the car, we didn't know what to do. We shook you and yelled as loud as we could but you didn't wake up. We got seriously wigged and thought you might be sick so".

Princess Sally butted in "So we went through your pockets and we found that container, it's some type of medicinal tablet container".

"I KNOW WHAT IT IS, j-j-j-j-just get to the part where you learned those names" Matt said.

The blue hedgehog gulped "Well, we read the tube and it said it was prescribed by a Doctor Ferrier. Sally and I walked around and asked where we could find this guy and they lead us to this place called uh……uh a farma?".

Bunnie giggled "Pharmacy sugar hog".

Sonic nodded "Right, anyway we found the doc and asked him to refill the tube, it was an emergency we told him. When he saw us he asked me and Bunnie if we were this……Billy and Trina".

Matt's face was cold and damp, the sweat dribbled off his frowning face like a dab of dew on a sprouting plant leaf. Sonic and the others remained eerily silent. The room was lively and energetic as a funeral home, Matt nervously asked Sonic and the others to continue, almost dreading their response.

Tails coughed "I think the doctor might have confused us for Billy and Trina, but he gave us the medicine anyway. The doctor said that family is always the most important thing in life".

Sally sighed "We were wondering if you could explain to us a bit more about you're heritage, like you're family and relatives".

Matt coldly replied "I have none to speak of, now let's drop the subject. I need to lie down".

Sally tried to tell Matt they were only trying to help, but Matt had already turned his back on her and was angrily storming into his bedroom. Sonic frowned and rushed up to Matt, grabbing his dark coat sleeve and yanking back on Matt's arm.

"Yo, what's you're malfunction buddy?" Sonic said.

Matt snapped "Back the hell off, I told you that this discussion is over".

Sonic shook his spiny, blue head "Oh no it's not, not by a long shot. There's something you covering up and it's stinking worse then Robuttnick's under pants. Who's Billy and Trina?".

Matt shouted back "None of you're god damn business and it NEVER will be".

Sonic yanked harder "What aren't you telling us? Come on Matt, I thought we were friends".

Sally called to Sonic "Please stop, let him go Sonic, it's his choice".

The hedgehog refused "He's hiding something and I want to know what".

Matt's face started to turn red, the human snarled and tried to tear away his arm from Sonic.

"Drop it right now or I swear to god" Matt started.

Sonic screamed "Enough is enough, TELL US WHO THEY ARE".

WHAM!

The bitter human grabbed Sonic and screamed like a wounded animal, his neck and hands bulged with bright red skin and throbbing veins. Matt smacked Sonic away from him and glared a pair of hate filled eyes at the bothersome blue hedgehog. Matt's heart was about to explode, the rage was burning him up from the inside like a nuclear reactor.

Matt shouted "My kids, okay they were my god damn kids. Are you freaking happy you smart ass, spiny piece of shit? Huh? Are you happy you son of a".

Matt stopped himself before cursing further and grabbed his head.

"Oh mah stars" Bunnie gasped.

Sonic and the others stood in silence as they watched Matt vent and scream out his anger. Frustration, rage, violence, all of these things were clawing from the surface and exploding within the tormented heart and soul of the poor, poor human known as Matt Barson. Matt's face was red and savage, the hatred of his lonely, broken heart was fueling him like cocaine injections.

Sonic gasped "That's who the rain coats were from, and the extra beds, and when the doctor saw us he must have thought".

"It's been 3 months now" Matt said.

Matt's years of pent up frustration and bitter loneliness had finally been cracked, the shell was broken. The memories of Matt's long lost children were rushing back into his mind like waterfalls. Matt felt it was time he could finally speak, to finally tell someone else, to tell someone other then himself his story of pain, misery, and heart ache. The true story of Matt.

Matt began "When I was in high school, I wasn't the most popular guy in the school, I wasn't the dorkiest though either, hell I wasn't even with the squids. I was in a middle class all my own with no one to bother and no one to be bothered by. That was until I met Clara, my future girlfriend and eventually bride to be. When I was with her, everything just seemed better.

There were no worries, no problems, no troubles, nothing could rain on our parade and nothing could destroy our happiness. About a year after we were married we tried to have a child, we succeeded in Trina, my daughter. Clara was more distant with me and spent more time with Trina then anyone else. But I figured it was just a phase, the children are always more important.

When Trina turned 4 we tried to have another, then Billy was born, more distant, more lack of attention. As time went by I barely ever saw Clara anymore, she was always out late or drunk or coming home with different clothes and smelling funny. Eventually I got fed up with it and followed her one night. I snuck out after the kids were asleep, I followed Clara to her car.

There was a guy waiting there for her, a guy I'd never seen before. Turns out Clara had been waiting for the kids and I to go to sleep so she could make sure no one would know she met up with this guy, Gary is his name. Clara had been cheating on me for some time now, purposely dumping the kids on me so she could skip work and shirk her duties just so she could see Gary.

When I confronted her about it, she made up this bull shit story saying I treated her wrong and we filed for divorce. We managed to get joint custody of the kids, but only if I agreed by Clara's rules, Clara's times, and Clara's schedule, that along with the endless court and lawyer fees were too much. I couldn't take it anymore……so I turned to drinking……and medication.

I originally took antidepressants to calm my nerves, I've been this way all my life, with the jumping and the shaking. Anyways, long story short, my obsession with prescription medicine and booze binging soiled my credibility and the judge deemed me an unworthy parent and dissolved the joint custody clause. I was never to go near Clara or my kids ever again.

That's why (starts to cry) that's why I have their coats and beds and stuff……because it's all I've got left. I can't talk to them, see them, go near them, she even put a restraining order on me. I mean can you BELIEVE that, I mean, were talking about my boy and my little girl, my kids, they're still, they're still my babies and I just……I just".

Matt's words became muffled by the pouring tears that screamed from his sorrow filled eyes, his hands trembled like chattering teeth. Tears continued to slip and slide down Matt's sorrow soaked face, acting like his heart had been violently ripped out again and again and again. Sonic walked towards Matt and wrapped his arms around him, Sally and the others did the same.

Sonic whispered "Were here Matt, were here, were here for you".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	10. Dreaming

Dreaming

Gleaming flashes of white tables, white coats, and white gloves blinded any soul whose mind was curious enough to look into this strange, bright, yet hidden laboratory. Dozens of white coated workers with goggles, gloves, and strange devices suffocated the room. Rotting brown walls hung like eyesores across the cramped quarters of the apartment building. A young dark haired woman sighed and cursed bitterly in a Japanese dialect.

This lab and its supplies as well as its workers all belonged to Professor Selene Rose, the female scientist who was out at the highway where Sonic and the others landed, gathering samples. The fur and hair samples Rose collected at the highway scene were being closely examined by her scientific assistants. Rose approached a lab table and angrily clenched her white gloved fingers across the table, her fierce brown eyes glared angrily.

Rose sighed "This is pathetic, how can they expect me to work in such primitive conditions? I barely have enough power running out of this flop house just to keep the TV going".

The professor took the orange fur samples from a nearby pair of tweezers and dropped them into a small dish. The dish was then placed under a microscope; Rose examined it carefully as she flexed the eye piece closer and closer onto the strange, orange fur samples. A short dark haired, black young man approached Rose; the woman rolled her eyes behind her goggles.

"What is it now Trevor?" Rose asked.

The young man frowned "Professor Rose I really don't think we should be doing this, I mean it just doesn't feel right".

Rose replied, still focusing on the furs "It's all for the research Trevor, you know that. Once we prove the importance of my work to those ignorant pigs at the university, they'll see my theories are not as ludicrous as they sound".

Trevor protested "Yes I know but this is illegal, were treading on very thin ice here professor".

Rose groaned "Some people just don't see Pulitzer prize material when they find it".

Trevor angrily argued "And some people can't see a crime when it's right in front of their FACE. Look professor, I agreed to help you with your research, that's all. I never agreed to steal anything, especially not from the university I am TRYING to get into".

Rose looked up from the scope and smirked "This is bigger then any one university, it's going to rewrite the pages of history. Science will be literally redefined right before our very eyes and you're worrying about a petty thing like some harmless burglary?".

Trevor snapped "That _harmless_ burglary can put you away for a _seriously_ long time. I'm sorry professor, but I can't risk my future over just a few phony freak fur samples, I'm calling the cops".

The black student reached for the dark green telephone and began to pick up the receiver, suddenly a female hand slammed it down and grabbed Trevor's hand. Trevor look up to the glaring, threatening chocolate brown eyes of his teacher, looking darker then even the blackest of nights.

Rose hissed "Listen closely cause this is the last time this conversation ever dribbles out of you're mouth, you're involved Trevor. I may have lied to you about where I got all the equipment, but I'm pretty sure the cops won't know the difference. A simple accomplice charge can destroy your career just as easily as a major crime. Face it, you're in this just as deeply as I am Trevor.

I'm on the verge of something monumental, I can taste it, but if you really want to drag me down into the pit and throw away everything we've worked together, then be my guest. I promise you I'll be more then happy to take you down with me. Now I suggest you shut up and get back to work, history isn't going to rewrite itself".

The dark man's eyes squinted a menacing glare to his once trusted professor, a look of bitter betrayal burned vibrantly in Trevor's gray eyes. Trevor knew that he was in too deep to blow the whistle on Rose……for now. The young woman bit her red lip tightly, Rose was running out of time and she needed results before it was too late. The professor leaned in close to the fur samples, almost as if she were talking to them.

Rose whispered "Show me; show me so that I can show the world".

* * *

Elsewhere……

Tails sighed "Nope, nothing here either you guys".

Matt, Sonic, Sally, and Bunnie sighed in a collective, depressing little whimper.

It's been at least 2 hours since Matt and the others arrived at the crash site at the highway, after the police had left of course. Sally was hoping that the 5 of them would be able to find some sort of trace of how they arrived in this reality and perhaps, find a way to get back home. But no matter how hard, no matter what they did, Matt and the others couldn't find a single trace. It was as if God opened up the sky and simply dumped them out like garbage.

Bunnie lightly patted Tails back as the young fox hanged his head with sorrow, a depressed look was on his furry face. Matt sighed and realized that the hard truth of reality was sinking in, something he knew all too well, all too well indeed. The human approached Tails and bent down as he looked into his young eyes with a kind, and gentle voice.

"Hey, would you like to see something cool?" Matt asked.

30 minutes later……

Tails griped a bit, rubbing his sore twin tails as they had been once again, forcefully stuffed into his kid sized coat. Sally grunted a bit as she tried to zip up her own blue green coat.

Sonic smiled "Here, let me help you with that Sal".

Sally smiled as Sonic grabbed her zipper and yanked up hard, zipping up her coat and keeping her nice and warm.

"Thanks Sonic, but don't worry I'll be fine. I just hope you don't mind Matt doing this for us, I mean after all, I know how you are with water" Sally said.

Sonic gulped a bit and laughed nervously.

Splashing drops of ice cold water bounced along the sides of the rocking boat, Sonic grappled the sides of the boat tightly with his white gloved hands. Matt had gotten Sonic and his friends tickets to a late night boat ride, something that a lot of people enjoyed in Chicago. The dark haired human smiled a bit as he watched Sonic and the others enjoy the sights of the city.

Matt smiled "Thanks for coming you guys, I'm sure you're gonna love this. A lot of people like these kind of things".

Tails blinked "Boat rides?".

Matt laughed "No, no, well yes there are some people who do, but that's not what I meant. On certain nights of every month when it gets to be night time, the city of Chicago has this special kind of……event that happens. Tonight is that night and well, I won't spoil it for you, it'll be here in about 10 minutes anyway".

Bunnie squeaked as she yanked her robotic arm away from the boat sides, the splashing cold water almost touched her steel digits.

Matt blinked "Uh Bunnie you all right?".

Bunnie giggled a bit "Oh sure sugar, just a bit sea sick is all".

The human raised a curious eyebrow "Funny because it looked like you were kind of scared of the water. I mean, all that high tech stuff on you're body is water proof right?".

The Southern rabbit laughed and waved her hand at Matt "Now don't be silly darling, of course it is. Ya'll don't think I'd let a little rain drop stop me now would you?".

Matt shook his head and smiled "No, guess I was just overreacting".

Bunnie half laughed and silently stared at the icy waters, the endless black abyss and flickering shadows of countless sea creatures squirming under the waters caused Bunnie to flinch. The cyborg girl looked at the railing and sheepishly pulled her robotic arm away from it.

Bunnie gulped "Yeah but even so……better safe then sorry".

The sky seemed to slowly melt into an endless ocean of darkness, the sun's glowing rays slowly faded away like a burning flame. Matt's gray eyes stared into the night sky without a care in the world it seemed. But that was only on the outside, on the inside, Matt was screaming and crying. Matt had never told anyone about what happened with his marriage, or his children. Even the slightest or tiniest of reminders would devastate Matt even further.

The sorrow soaked human drifted off into an abyss of misery and depression, his face losing color and growing tears, tears cold as ice and the color of pain. The innocent faces of Matt's children flashed vividly in Matt's mind, he blinked his eyes and stared at the water, contemplating whether or not he should join the fish and bathing himself in the water's darkness for all eternity. Sonic snapped his white gloved fingers in front of Matt's face.

"Yo Matt, you in there? Hey snap out of it buddy" Sonic said.

Matt shook his head and lightly laughed "Sorry about that, I was just doing a little……dreaming".

Sonic blinked "About your kids?".

Matt refused to answer; he turned his head away and bit his lip.

Sonic sighed "Look Matt, I'm not gonna say I know how you feel, I don't. I've never had kids before and I can't imagine how sucky it must feel to have them taken away. But that doesn't mean you got to shut me out".

Matt replied "It's nothing personal".

Sonic added "Maybe but it sure feels that way, I may be blue, spiky, and look like a walking pin cushion, but that doesn't mean I can't help".

"How?" Matt asked.

Sonic smiled "I'm super good at listening".

Matt returned that warm smile "Thanks".

BOOM!

The deafening crash of the sound of thunder echoed loudly through the towering skyscraper buildings of Chicago. Sonic and Sally's eyes widened with marvelous wonder, their eyes sparkled like luminous diamonds in the night. Breathtaking colors of the rainbow exploded in the form of fire, smoke, and lights. The fireworks display Matt had been waiting for had finally arrived. Tails stuck his head out from the boat and gasped out loud.

"WHOA, this is awesome" Tails exclaimed.

Bunnie smiled "Oh mah stars, I've never seen anything like that before".

Sally added "It's beautiful".

The flowers of fire stretched their sparkling, smoke trails across the night sky like spider webs. The breathtaking display of Chicago's nightly fireworks was wondrous and amazing to the 4, furry citizens of the planet Mobius. Bunnie and Tails eyes soaked up the bursts of light and beauty, enjoying every last drop of it as if absorbing it right into their very hearts.

Matt sighed "I wonder if they dream about me".

Sonic raised a blue eyebrow to that remark "Say what?".

Matt repeated "I wonder if they dream about me, my kids, I wonder".

Sonic blinked "Is that what's been bothering you?".

Matt half chuckled "There's a whole world of bother in my head Sonic, and I keep coming back to it day after day. But my kids……my kids are in a far, far better place. Far from my pain, my misery, my solitude, far away. I just wonder if I have such a place like that in my children's minds".

Sonic curiously asked "What do you mean?".

Matt continued "I wonder if they think about me, I wonder if they wish I was around more, if they miss me, if they miss the sound of my voice, or the smell of my hair. I also wonder if I'm ever going to see them again".

Sonic answered "Don't be silly Matt, of course you will. Your kids aren't in another dimension or off fighting some war, there right here in the city. You make it sound like there a million miles away".

Matt coldly asked "Then how come it feels like that way in my heart? How come no matter how many bottles of booze or pills I down, that feeling never goes away? And how come I feel something bad is going to happen soon, something that's going to take my kids away from me forever".

The blue hedgehog sighed and shook his spiny head, his hopeful heart sank faster then a rock in a pond. Nothing seemed to warm Matt's heart. Sonic walked over to the human and gently cradled his shoulder with his hand, he turned Matt's eyes towards Sonic's face. The hedgehog sighed softly.

Sonic said "Look Matt, I'm not fortune teller and I'd be lying if I said everything is gonna be all right. I don't know if it is. I don't know if were ever gonna make it back home, or if you'll ever see your kids again, or if my future is just going to be battle after battle after battle".

Matt looked to Sonic and begged "Then why? Why go on?".

Sonic smirked "Because it's life, that's what life is. Life is choices, some good, some bad, but we keep on making those choices because no matter what the circumstances, we know what lies beyond those choices. Our dreams, my home, you're kids, everything you've ever wanted or cared about. It's all waiting for you and it's always going to be there for you.

But if you give up now, if you give into the darkness and let it destroy all that is good about you inside, you've already lost. For your son, for your daughter, for yourself, have some hope, hope that your heart will guide you to the dreams you were meant to live".

Matt cried "Oh Sonic……(sob) thank you".

Sonic gasped as Matt suddenly burst into tears and hugged him tightly, the hedgehog gagged a bit as Matt's larger body was doing a number on his.

Sally smirked "Would you boys like a room or just a few minutes alone?".

Sonic and Matt turned to see Sally, Tails, and Bunnie roaring with laughter. Matt let go of Sonic and simply burst into tears of joy himself, laughing along with his friends……his real friends. And while none of these 5 creatures had any idea what the future may hold for them, they knew that whatever challenge, whatever danger they'd face, they'd face it together.

As a family……

* * *

To be continued…… 


	11. Drink Up

Drink Up

"You know right now, being chased by Swat-Bots sounds like more fun then this" Matt grimaced.

The aching flex of his tired fingers tightly grappled the slipping plastic bonds of the grocery bags that dangled like dewdrops from his hands, tugging and tearing at his sagging arms. With no job and 4 room mates who can't even be seen in public without being attacked by the National Enquirer, Matt was running low on money and he knew it.

"Maybe……maybe I can go with them when they" Matt shook his head.

The human's desires lay deep in the endless layers of fantasies, built upon absurdity and foolish dreams. Matt wanted an escape from this cold, harsh, unforgiving world. Everywhere Matt looked he saw suffering, pain, agony, hatred, crime, death, racism, and no end to any of these in sight. The rotting faces of the homeless burned deeply into the aching wounds of Matt's brain. Matt felt like he was drowning, drowning in a world of darkness and tears.

No sight could give Matt an anchor to hold onto, no face could draw him into the beauty beneath the beastly nature of this city. People may still be walking in it, but the world is dead and has dissolved into nothing but shadows and dust for poor, lonely souls like Matt to choke and gag on.

Matt sighed "Finally".

The first sign of joy in this bitter black world, Matt had made it home. The human dropped the bags to the ground as he entered the doorway and sighed with relief. The released tension from Matt's hands felt wonderful, a minor and inane pleasure but one thoroughly enjoyed it seemed by the look in Matt's dazed and shimmering silver eyes. Matt called out to the others.

Sonic half smiled "Oh h-h-hi Matt, welcome home buddy, old pal, old friend of mine".

Matt blinked "Gee thanks……say where's Tails? I got dinner for you guys".

The hedgehog nervously laughed as he fumbled his white gloved fingers, sweat drops dribbled off Sonic's blue, spiky brow. Matt started to get worried.

"Sonic, what happened to Tails?" Matt asked.

Tails appeared, sheepishly replying "I'm right here Matt, I'm fine, it's just that……uh……it's just that".

Matt groaned "OUT WITH IT, what the hell is going on you guys?".

"It's Bunnie" Sally said.

Matt turned around and saw Sally by the bathroom door, clutching tightly in her furry brown hands a glass bottle with a white, foamy liquid inside that smelled like sweet memories of pain and sorrow. Matt gasped.

Matt gulped "Where did you guys find that?".

Sonic sighed "You remember that big stash you had in the bathtub? Well, we were getting kind of antsy when you didn't come home and Bunnie was really, really thirsty. We looked all around the place but couldn't find anything. Eventually Bunnie checked the bathroom and found……that".

Sally added "She drank it and started to act kind of……funny. Bunnie wanted more but we wouldn't let her and that's when she got a little".

Matt looked around the room and just now realized that half of the furniture was flipped over, broken, busted, or smashed. The human groaned and smacked his head into the wall with a hard thump, depressed moans slip out of his lips like a dying animal.

"Rough" Tails said, idly staring at his feet and flickering his twin tails.

Matt frowned "I REALLY don't want to know the answer to this but I must ask it, nevertheless, did Bunnie happen to say where she was going?".

15 minutes later……

"Are you guys completely INSANE? You guys let her go bar hopping, what the hell were you thinking?" Matt shouted.

Bitter fingers angrily tightened their grip across the steering wheel as the clunking, smoke sputtering vehicle on 4 wheels dragged its rusted mechanical carcass downtown Chicago. Sonic, Sally, and Tails sat in the back seats, bitterly scowling and crossing their arms over their chests. Matt was hoping to find Bunnie by driving by all the big name bars in his car.

Sonic frowned "Excuse us Matt, but we didn't LET her do anything, she flipped us like pancakes".

Tails nodded "Bunnie is way too strong, we didn't stand a chance. Besides it's not like we know what a bar is anyway".

Matt gasped "Then how did SHE know what one is in the first place?".

Tails hummed "I think she heard it off that weird box you have with the pointy ears, you know, the one that shows all those strange pictures".

"You mean a television set?" Matt moaned, angrily grinding his teeth.

Tails nodded "Yeah, that's it, I always forget what that thing's called. She saw a picture about a bar and she figured if she walked around the city long enough, she could find a place that looks like the one in that box".

Sally glared curiously at Matt from the car's backseat; her piercing, luminous eyes stared at Matt like diamond encrusted daggers. A thick gulp swallowed down Matt's nervous throat as he felt the eyes burn a hole in the back of his body. Matted black hair tingled with sprouting drops of heated sweat, festering and crawling over Matt's forehead like termites.

"Matt, just exactly what is a bar? Does it have anything to do with that special drink Bunnie tried?" Sally asked.

Matt groaned "The uh……special drink is called alcohol. It's a numbing kind of relaxation drink that humans consume in order to get dizzy, hammered, plastered, or as it's officially known as, being drunk".

Tails scratched his furry head in confusion "It makes you dizzy? Why would anyone want to drink something that makes them all woozy and stuff?".

Matt replied "Lots of people have problems. Jobs, girlfriends, boyfriends, money, school, it can really weigh down on a person's mind, so they drink this stuff so they can forget all their bad memories and ignore their responsibilities, even if just for a little while".

Blank stares and empty lips shed not a single sound or syllable, moments of absolute silenced chilled the inside of the car like an empty shell. Sonic and the others were unable to understand what was so important about this drink.

Sonic rubbed his forehead as he asked "Whoa, hold the chili dog for one sec. If this alky stuff takes more then one gulp to make people dizzy, how come Bunnie wigged out after only one drink?".

Matt shrugged "How should I know? And by the way it's alcohol, not alky Sonic".

The hedgehog rolled his eyes "Whatever".

"Will you knock it off you guys? I'm dead serious, we've got to find her before she blows her cover or gets hurt, or hurts someone or whatever" Matt said.

Sally frowned "If this stuff is dangerous Matt, why did you leave it just lying around?".

The human screamed with frustration "Because they were MINE, every last one of em, I get drunk sometimes, okay, you happy? I couldn't take this crap anymore so I downed a few drinks and let my hangover do the rest. I didn't want Bunnie to find it, or any of you guys. I also didn't think she'd get buzzed after one drink, maybe alcohol affects you guys differently then me".

The car slowly crawled to a slow, gentle drive; Matt's eyes were wandering across the dark and seedy sights of this very unpleasant looking neighborhood.

"Holy crap, that's her" Matt screamed.

The human out stretched his finger and pointed to two men carrying someone smaller, and furrier between them.

Sonic blinked "Those guys are taking Bunnie into that nasty looking place".

Matt groaned as he stuck his head out of his car window and examined the name of the bar. The bar name read vividly in a grungy, half busted neon sign that read: The Dead Plug bar.

Tails curiously asked "So, what are we going to do now?".

Sally nodded "There's only one thing to do, we've got to go in there and get Bunnie out, no matter what".

Mat turned to Sally and blurted out "WHAT? Do you have any idea how knee deep in trouble we are? If we go in there and try to take Bunnie out, those guys might try and stop us or worse, Bunnie could flip out on us".

"But we can't just leave her in there either" Sally replied.

Bitter nightmares and frustrated fears started to cloud and suffocate Matt's mind like a choking fog of doubt, dread, and darkness. Matt screamed and bashed his fists against his steering wheel, repressed rage savagely being hammered out as he closed his eyes. Everything was falling apart right before Matt's very eyes. The human slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath, he then turned to face his furry room mates and blinked softly.

Matt nodded "You're right, let's go get our friend back. But, we do it my way and my way only. You guys stay outside and wait for me to call you in, the less trouble we start in there the better. I think things will go a lot more smoothly if I try to get Bunnie by myself".

Sally agreed "He's right, Bunnie's already walked into the spotlight, no sense in dragging ourselves into it unless it's absolutely necessary".

Sonic frowned "Fine, I still don't like this one little bit".

Matt sighed "Just relax Sonic, if you guys hear me scream or hear some kind of glass breaking, that's your cue. In the meantime sit tight and I'll hopefully be back with Bunnie in a few minutes".

Matt opened the car door and took a deep breath as he exited the vehicle and closed the door. The entrance to the bar looked more menacing then inviting, subliminal pictures of pain and blood already stained Matt's fragmented and frantic mind. The inevitable future confrontation Matt was about to endure was almost absolute. Matt took another deep breath and entered the bar, fearing what troubles await him in the deep, jagged jaws of the Dead Plug.

CRACK!

The smacking snap of a pool cue striking a billiards ball caused Matt to flinch, everything in here caused him to be on edge. Bald, angry, dangerous looking men and women surrounded the seedy bar, tattoos and pitchers of alcohol blinded Matt's gray eyes everywhere. There were people by the pool table, people by the band stage, people by the bar, and even a beat up old karaoke machine. Matt walked cautiously, quickly looking left and right.

Matt didn't want to stay in here any longer then he had to, he could sense the anger in the eyes of the staring bar mates. Not a soul walked by Matt without at least giving off one dirty little glare at him.

"HIC, y'all know how to show a gal a party, YEE HAW" a female voice shouted.

Matt gasped "Is that……Bunnie?".

The man looked around for the source of the sweet but slurred voice, a lair pair of peach colored rabbit ears stretched high above most of the people in the bar. Matt groaned and walked over to find a drunken and intoxicated Bunnie.

The bald, bearded man next to Bunnie laughed "Whatever you say cupcake, just keep on drinking".

A smirking, blue haired man with a scar on his left cheek laughed "Whoever thought Halloween could be so……attractive".

Matt pushed the men aside and grabbed Bunnie by the shoulders, the cyborg rabbit giggled in a dizzy little spin and smiled at Matt.

"Hey there sugar……y-y-y-you s-s-some sauce t-t-too?" Bunnie squeaked.

Matt sighed "No thanks Bunnie, uh sorry guys but its WAY past her bedtime and we really need to be going now".

THUMP!

A powerful, tattoo covered forearm blocked off the doorway from Matt's path, it was the bald, bearded man that sat next to Bunnie. The man growled a grunt like snarl at Matt and pushed him back closer to the bar.

"Little Miss Cotton tail is with us slick, so why don't you just back the hell off?" the man sneered.

The blue haired man laughed "Now, now Mike, no need to be playing hard ball so soon. Perhaps our druggy looking friend would like to join us?".

Matt blinked a confused glance back at the blue haired man, almost baffled by his statement. The man was wearing a dark, rusty colored brown jacket over a white wife beater with grease stains on it. The jacket had a name embroidered on the front of the upper left pocket by the shoulder. The name read in bronze colored stitching: Sirius.

Sirius laughed "Yeah I can see it in those baby Bambi eyes of his, this boy needs to get tapping".

Matt frowned "What exactly are you talking about?".

Sirius smirked "There's plenty of sweets to go around my friend, after all, she certainly does seem to be too frazzled enough to care".

Cracking knuckles snapped as Matt clenched a fist behind his back, he tugged Bunnie to stay behind him as he growled angrily.

"She's just a kid for Christ's sake" Matt hissed.

Sirius shrugged "Labels are nothing more then stickers my friends, if she's old enough to talk and walk, she's old ENOUGH".

Matt snapped "You're disgusting".

"Just because she's dressed like rabbit, doesn't make you her keeper, so why don't you just do us all a favor and BUG OFF" Sirius shouted.

The blue haired man smashed his fist into Matt's face, knocking the human down and crashing the back of his head into a wall. Mike laughed and smashed a booze bottle into hundreds of little pieces. Matt's gray eyes widened as he spotted the razor sharp, broken bottle in Mike's hands.

Matt gulped "Uh guys, we got ourselves a big problem in here".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	12. Rumble at the Dead Plug

Rumble at the Dead Plug

BOOM!

The doors to the bar shattered into flying shards of fractured wood, the force of the massive entrance took everyone off guard. A powerful rush of wind crashed into the widening eyes of the bar mates as they gasped in complete shock as 3 furry creatures leapt onto the scene like a pair of flying furry warriors. Sonic, Sally, and Tails cheered as they charged forward.

Mike shouted "What the hell is going on here? OOF".

The bald, brutish man was silenced by a powerful tackle from Sonic's spinning spin ball attack. Mike smashed through a bar table and cried out as his face was drenched in the golden brown, foamy cups and glasses of beer as he struck the ground.

Matt sighed "Well, so much for keeping a low profile".

The human quickly grabbed a picture of water and splashed its contents into Bunnie's face, hoping to wake the cybernetic rabbit out of her drunken state. Bunnie gasped as water drops dripped from her soaked, furry white cheeks.

"Come on, snap out of it Bunnie, we need your GAH" Matt cried out as he was attacked.

Sirius snarled as he leapt at Matt and slammed him into the ground, violently hammering his knuckles into Matt's face and chest. The blue haired creep was furious that Matt had stolen his sleeping beauty from her sleepy little spell. Sirius grabbed Matt by the collar and smashed his face against the bar.

Sirius growled "I told you to piss off cockroach, now I'm gonna squash you like the bug you are".

Sonic laughed and easily dodged the swinging blades of an angry bar patron. A black, violent man with a black moustache and a plaid colored sweat shirt was slicing the razor blade at the evasive hedgehog. The man jammed it into a table and Sonic quickly spread his blue legs in order to let the blade sink into the table itself. The hedgehog laughed and smacked both of his red sneakers into the man's face.

Sonic smirked "I don't know what Matt was so worried about, this is FUN".

* * *

Tails screamed "Speak for yourself, WAHHHHH".

The two tailed fox screamed as he was yanked off his feet by an angry gray haired man in a yellow jacket, and slammed Tails onto the bar. The man then dragged Tails like a food trey and smashed his face into every drink, glass, and ash tray that was on top of the bar until Tails was shoved off the edge.

Sonic looked to the man and growled "Hey, pick on someone your own size".

Sonic spun into a buzz saw like formation and cut a hole around the feet of the gray haired man, he screamed as he collapsed under the dark hole.

"There, that's much better, now you look small even to us" Sonic chuckled.

* * *

Princess Sally smirked as a sea of black leather jacket wearing biker men were circling her like vulture circles it's prey, a sick smile of delight gleamed in their seedy, beady eyes.

The head biker chuckled "Well what do we have here, a hot little piece of furry damsel ass, and it's my favorite flavor too, in distress".

Sally replied eagerly "I may be a damsel, but you boys are the only ones that are about to be in distress".

The biker boys growled and charged at Sally with blades armed, and chains bared. The savage monstrous men stormed their black boots like a stampede of buffalo towards the seemingly helpless princess.

"And here's why" Sally said.

The princess ducked as two bikers smashed each other across the face with a steel chain and a beer bottle. Sally then grabbed the bikers by the belts and pulled forward, smashing both of their heads together and knocking them unconscious. A man with a red Mohawk and a piercing on his lower lip, ran screaming at Sally with a pair of blade tipped brass knuckles. Sally leaned in and performed a jump flip, wrapping her brown legs over the man's face.

Sally's blue boots then shoved off the man's black leather jacket shoulders to propel her high enough to grab the ceiling fan. The Mohawk punk growled as Sally's body was removed from his face, he turned around only to be drop kick in the jaw by Sally's boots. The princess had used the spinning fan blades to spin her completely around to perform a drop kick. The furry princess then dropped down and dished out a fast leg sweep.

The leg kick knocked another biker right off his feet. Sally stood up and smirked, idly rubbing her nose much like her boyfriend, Sonic would after a victory.

"Like I said before, I'm one part damsel, and zero part distress" Sally smiled proudly.

Suddenly the bulky, bald, beastly brute of a man, Mike grabbed Sally from behind, his massive tattooed forearms crushed against Sally's slender but small, brown furry frame.

Mike sneered as Sally cried out in pain "Lights out for you princess".

Sally's ear shattering screams broke the heart of every gentle soul in the room, Sonic and the others gasped as they saw her in pain, but were unable to help. Everyone else was still locked in the various bar brawls that they had started just mere moments ago.

Matt growled "Sally ARGH no".

The dark haired young man was still fighting against Sirius as he was crushing his skull into the bar with his bare hands. Struggling against the powerful vice like grip, Matt's pain soaked gray eyes desperately searched the room for something to help pry Sirius off of his head. Matt's eyes widened as he looked behind and quickly grabbed Sirius's pants belt.

Sirius blinked "Hey, what the hell do you think".

The blue haired man gasped as his pants dropped in an instant, he frantically let go of Matt's head and tried to grab his pants. Matt turned around and smashed his fist right across Sirius's face. The scarred crook cried out as blood dripped from his nose. Matt then quickly grabbed Sirius by the collar and hurled across the bar into the bottles of booze, right behind the bar counter. Matt then turned his eyes towards Sally and charged towards her.

"Leave my friends ALONE" Matt screamed as he plowed into Mike's back.

* * *

Tails shouted out in panic as he was hurled off the floor and crashed, face first into the bar's billiards table. The young fox groaned as he pushed him furry chest off of a broken pool cue stick.

Tails groaned "That really hurt".

A trio of unruly, ravenous looking bar brawlers roared towards Tails, they waved their sharp, shimmering objects, all itching to slice into the young fox's orange fur. Tails pulled his head down and screamed as he fluttered his twin tails in panic. One of the spinning tails struck a pool ball and sent it flying, the red striped ball smacked a brawler right between the eyes.

Tails looked up and gasped "Whoa cool".

Getting an idea, the smirking fox spun his tails in a super speeding spin as he used the force of his whirling tails to fire the pool balls off like bullets. The cracking balls flew at the brawlers like flying arrows, each one delivering a painfully devastating blow to any unfortunate enough to be in the way. The brawlers screamed as they eventually retreated from Tails special attack, frantically stepping over each other as they bolted through the bar door.

Tails laughed "More like way past cool".

* * *

Sonic gulped "Come on guys, can't we talk this over like civilized uh……dudes?".

The hedgehog had been captured by 4 different brawlers, each one holding a leg or an arm and keeping Sonic from running or moving. Sonic was hurled across the room right into the darts board. Painfully groaning as he struck the board, Sonic rubbed his aching spines as he felt they had drilled deep into the impressionable surface of the darts board.

Sonic laughed weakly "I guess not".

The black man with the plaid sweater chuckled at Sonic's unfortunate predicament, as he quickly grabbed a pair of razor pointed darts off a near by bar table.

"Oh this is SO not way past cool" Sonic squeaked.

The man chucked a dart at Sonic, the hedgehog squealed and flinched, the dart barely missing his blue hide. The other brawlers stepped in and chucked their darts at Sonic too. Sonic winced and yanked his peach colored limbs to the sides as best he could, trying desperately to move himself out of the darts path. A female voice suddenly screamed a violent battle cry across the room, a bar chair was smashed across the dark man's head, knocking him out cold.

Sally smirked "Have a seat boys".

Sonic smirked and spun into a buzz saw, slicing his back free from the wood post and the darts board. The other brawlers gasped and quickly turned towards the exit, running frantically and fearfully. Sonic approached Sally and smiled warmly to her.

The princess giggled "Hope you don't mind being saved by a girl".

Sonic smiled in return "Not at all, especially from such a gorgeous source".

* * *

Drowned garbles of dizzy stars danced in front of Bunnie's emerald colored eyes, her young voice, gagging and choking on half swallowed gulps of ice cold water. The cyborg rabbit stirred from her dizzying sleep, having almost fully recovered from her drunken state. Bunnie groaned as she held her head with furry arm, leaning it up against the bottom base of the bar.

Bunnie whimpered "Oh mah stars and garters, my aching head. Feels like a whole stampede of terapods been doing the hokey pokey in my poor old noggin".

Loud screams and grunts echoed from the other side of the bar, enraged cries shout out from Matt as he continues to trade punches with Mike. Bloody bruises and aching muscles contained to rack up endless amounts of pain on each fighter's bodies. Matt grunted as he grabbed a booze bottle from a table and smashed it across Mike's bald head, spilling alcohol and glass everywhere. Bunnie stretched out her metallic leg and managed to trip Mike.

Matt panted heavily "Nice going there Bunnie, welcome back".

The sweet southern belle smiled as she lifted up her other metallic leg and bashed Mike's head with it, knocking the bald thug unconscious before he could get back up again.

Bunnie smiled "Glad to be back hun, sorry about all the ruckus though".

Pleasant laughter charmed the aching, slaughter soaked walls of the bar that once housed such angry, violent, destructive souls of rage and hatred. The settling stillness of the bar's eerie quietness played a lovely melody of calmness amongst the 5 creatures, laughing and smiling at their supposed victory with hope and joy in their eyes and voices. Suddenly, like a shark's fine, a blue object revealed itself and sliced the serenity of silence in half.

The face of evil, villainy, and darkness formed its sinister shapes into the being that loomed above Bunnie's head, behind the bar, it was Sirius. A large, black barrel shotgun was seen inside Sirius's greedy, eager hands as he handled the deadly weapon as if it were a toy he was itching to play with in the most brutal, and immature of methods.

BOOM!

A thundering whiplash of gun powder and ear shattering screams pierced the serene peace with a flash of blood. Matt screamed and collapsed to the seedy, weed colored walls of the bar. The man's right arm had been blasted open in a splatter of red liquid and fractured flesh, Sirius had blasted Matt in the arm with the shotgun and judging by the look in his twisted face, with great pleasure. Matt collapsed to his knees and slumped like a sack of bricks.

"MATT" Bunnie screamed.

Ocean colored droplets poured from Bunnie's eyes as the one form of life on this planet that didn't despise or detest her very species, was seemingly silenced in one single crack of thunder and blood. Sonic grabbed Sally and frantically dashed at blurry, light blinding speeds in order to dodge the pinball like barrage of Black Death firing from the shotgun like a slew of arrows. Tails screamed and ducked behind the billiards pool table.

Explosions of shattered wood and ruptured steel danced across the bar, drowning out the insidious, sickening sound of the hyena like laughter roaring from the monster behind the weapon of such death and destruction. Sirius fired and fired and fired again, never letting up and never ceasing so long as he heard that loud click form the gun, followed by the even louder boom. Matt winced and held his arm as he felt the warm red liquid dripping.

Matt gagged "Guys……get……get out of here now".

Sally shook her head defiantly "No way, were not leaving without you".

BOOM!

Another heartless shotgun blast ripped the furry creatures and their friend from their words of courage and warmth, forcing them back into the horrendous horrors of the real world. Sirius smirked with a wicked clown like smile as he aimed the gun at Sonic, Sally, and Matt.

Sirius laughed "I don't know who you are, or where you freaks came from, and I really don't care. What I do care about is the answer to a question, and that question is? I wonder if any of you mutants are gonna stain my favorite shirt when I get through blowing your HEADS OFF".

CLICK!

CRUNCH!

The malicious maniac took great pride and pleasure in squeezing the trigger and awaiting the repulsively delicious sound of death echoing from the smoking barrel of his treasured weapon. But as Sirius slowly examined the helm of the gun, a sight of great shock and horror stained his eyes like a smear of ink. The shotgun's barrel had been crushed like it was made of plastic. Metallic, purple digits tightly clenched the helm of the crushed gun.

The owner of those iron clad digits of titanium alloy, returned Sirius's baffled and bewildering gaze with a cold, ice hearted stare that could pierce the very thickest of hides. Bunnie's emerald eyes burned with the vengeance and wrath of ancient gods. Such fury and anger bubbled behind those furry white cheeks, once humbled by beauty and kindness. Sirius gulped hard.

Bunnie coldly hissed "Over my daisy pushing behind".

The cyborg rabbit savagely clutched her cold, chrome hand around Sirius's neck and slammed him into the pale, peach colored floor of the bar. Sirius screamed as the wood shattered into massive toothpick fragments from the force of being slammed, face first into the wood floor. Bunnie roared like a savage beast as she ruthlessly bashed Sirius again and again as if he were a baseball bat.

Bunnie grunted each time she slammed him "Ring around the (SLAM) posies, a pocket full of (SLAM) posies, ashes (SLAM) ashes".

As the simple rhyme came to a crashing close, Bunnie released her screaming and struggling prisoner with lack of reason or care of where he landed. Sirius squealed as a snapping crack was heard from his back as he struck the floor. The frustrated and furious creep stood on his legs with passion burning in those throbbing eyes, blood crawling over his cut eyebrows like red, wet caterpillars. Sirius roared as he kicked Bunnie's leg.

"DAMMIT" Sirius screamed.

The firm, metallic coating of Bunnie's robotic legs provided an easy shield for Sirius's anger provoked strike. The hollowing clang of Sirius's foot striking Bunnie's leg was loud and strong, the man screamed as he clutched his precious, fractured foot.

Bunnie growled "We all fall down".

The completion of the nursery rhyme ended with a bang of epic and physical proportions as Bunnie smashed her robotic arm into Sirius's chest. The man screamed as wood and glass became scattered fragments as his back sliced through them, he grunted as the hard pavement painfully broke his fall. Matt gasped for air as he tightly clutched Sally's furry brown paw, using her to try and regain balance. Flashing lights of red and blue started to appear.

Sonic blinked "I think that's our cue guys, let's get Matt some help, fast".

The furry creatures held Matt up against their shoulders and quickly hurried, noticing the look of pain and distraught measured in the sagging, sulked face of the wounded man. Tails grunted as he accidentally bumped into someone as he exited the bar, the young fox politely turned to the person, bowed, and apologized.

"Sorry about that" Tails said.

The stranger curiously turned around as she revealed her piercing, jade colored eyes. The sight and sound of such creatures walking before the woman's eyes was truly astounding. The woman Tails had bumped into was none other then Professor Selene Rose, and the widening smile on her young, Asian, feminine features curved into a sinister grin. Rose reached for her cell phone and quickly punched in some numbers as she examined Matt.

Rose spoke into the phone "Hello, operator? Get me the Chicago police department……uh huh……I'd like to speak with an officer Frank Mcoy please. I've got something very important to talk to him about".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	13. The Alliance

The Alliance

The dimly lit diner sparked twinkling lights over the grungy, faded pearl white tables of the little restaurant. Faces old and young surrounded the run down diner, seemingly oblivious to its dark, rusted yellow walls and it's stingy, brown colored stains plastering over tables, chairs, and even the ceiling. This was a place anyone could enter and yet no one truly wanted to. Darts Diner was one of crappiest 24 hour open diners in all of Chicago.

And Professor Selene Rose couldn't have been happier with her location……

A husky, white haired officer wobbled his bloated gut and stumpy 2 legs through the crowded tables and red brown colored chairs. The oversized man grunted with obvious disgust on his sagging, potato colored face, his cheeks looked like sagging wrinkles on a birthday balloon. Officer Frank Dowell plopped down his oversized rear end onto the light green colored seat coverings of the booth.

Frank frowned "I'm missing the American Idol finale for this lady, so you better have a damn good reason for getting my ass up off the couch".

Rose smirked "I assure you Officer Frank, this is _well _worth it. You're going to be begging for my spooky science once I".

Frank bitterly interrupted "Get to the point Yoko I'm a busy man, now what the hell do you want? And why did you have to tell me in this rat hole?".

Rose replied "Because the last thing I need is some half drunken lynching party chasing after my Pulitzer Prize specimens. I'm here to inform, not broadcast, now take a good look at this".

SLAM!

The female professor slammed her hand onto the table, her fingertips were concealing the object. Frank half interested, lazily gazed his dull blue eyes to see what was under Rose's hand. The object appeared to be a small plastic bag with a scientific label on it. Inside the small bag, a clump of orange fur mixed ever so lightly with a white stripe.

Rose smirked "What you are looking at is the future of science and anatomy, the greatest scientific discovery in the history of mankind. So, what do you have to say?".

A dull, quiet stillness painted the sulking, sagging mounds of Frank's face as he picked up the fur sample and stared at it blankly. Frank angrily scowled a hateful glare at the woman's face once he properly examined the sample.

"A fur ball, are you freaking kidding me? It's a hair ball you dumb ass! How the hell can this be the greatest scientific discovery, my cat coughs these up every day you spaced out twit" Frank shouted.

The scientist snapped back "It's NOT an ordinary fur ball you bloated buffoon, this fur is unlike anything I've ever seen before".

Frank shook his head "That does it, I'm out of here".

Rose protested "WAIT, wait, just hear me out. I ran some tests on this thing, this fur sample has high concentrated strands of animal DNA. When I back checked for animal matches, only one was found, a fox".

Frank mockingly clapped and cheered "Bravo, bravo, stop the presses, we got fox hair balls in Chicago. My wife's gonna pop when she hears this".

The woman angrily growled at the officer's obvious insults and sarcastic remarks, each insult drove deeper into her now flustered, and furious red cheeks. Rose slammed the table down again and jerked Frank's face into her jade colored fingernails, tightly crushing her grip over his collar as she spoke.

Rose hissed "I'm not finished yet dammit, there's more. After some closer examinations, I discovered multiple strands of human DNA inside this fur sample. The same strands that grant us intelligence, individuality, even some our more advanced learning traits, there all inside this little ball of fur. This is no common fox, it's a new species, a creature unlike anything on Earth".

Frank sighed "Look, that's all well and good, I'm sure the Brookfield zoo will be jumping out of their pants over this, but I really don't give a rat's ass".

Rose gasped "Are you mad? You're a cop for god's sakes. If my research is correct, there could be even more of these super creatures. They could be extremely dangerous to the public's health, what more do you need?".

The cop slapped down a piece of paper in front of Rose, the woman curiously examined it. The paper was a mug shot and rap sheet. The mug shot photo was of Matt Barson, Rose almost gasped at the man's face.

Frank explained "What I need right now is _this guy_, name's Matt Barson, and we've been busting our asses all over looking for this guy. He was last seen leaving the highway crash during that freaky light show, his car was one of the trashed vehicles we recovered".

Rose blinked "Wait a minute, if you have his car then shouldn't you already know where he is? I mean his license plate information should trace back to his home address".

Frank nodded "Yeah and it would have, if it was HIS car he was driving. The plates are registered to a Lawrence Lamario, Matt's old boss. It was reported stolen that very same night.

Matt was fired from his job and decided to hotwire his boss's car out of spite, he ditched the car after he crashed it on the highway. We think he bought a used car afterwards. It's not likely he'd be on foot with so many cops after him".

"Why, what else has he done?" Rose asked.

Frank half laughed "Get this, has been suspected to be responsible for causing 2 riots according to some sketchy eye witness reports. One at FAO Schwartz and the other at the Dead Plug bar last night. Before that, he was a successful journalist for the Chicago Tribune till he caught his wife screwing around.

The divorce ended in a mess, and he was restricted from going near his wife or his kids ever again. He's been doing random odd jobs on the side, and drowning himself in booze almost every night, or so his boss claims".

The shocked expression on Rose's face finally stirred the half mumbled, ramblings of the bloated officer. Frank could see a sparkle of shock and surprise glittering in the woman's eyes like Christmas lights.

Rose smiled "I knew it, I knew it, I _knew _it".

Frank blinked "What are you talking about?".

Rose smirked "Last night, I think I saw this very same individual walking out of the Dead Plug bar, just minutes after it was trashed. I saw 4 short, furry looking people walking him home. If my hunch is correct, our goals are one and the same".

"You're psycho babble's starting to bore me Rose" Frank groaned.

Rose continued "Don't you see, that fur sample I collected was located barely a foot away from the highway crash site".

Frank shrugged "So, we found fur balls just like yours on some of the cars, so what? Probably just road kill or something".

Rose shook her dark haired head "No don't you see, this is exactly what I am talking about. These creatures are far more advanced then any species of animal recorded. The toy store, the dead plug bar, the highway, there all connected, and I bet you anything Barson has the creatures I'm looking for".

Frank laughed "Please, give me a break. You're starting to sound like those nut ball witnesses, claiming they saw walking talking animals. One guy says a rabbit smashed his car's engine with just one punch, it's all garbage Rose".

Rose grinned "That maybe, but I believe these creatures are real, and I'm willing to make a bargain with you just so I can prove it".

Frank raised his gray eyebrows "I'm listening".

Rose explained "I know where this Matt Barson is. I can tell you exactly where he is and what you'll need in order to catch him, but you have to agree to take me along with you".

The pudgy cop frowned "Oh yeah, and what's in it for you?".

Rose frowned "If I'm wrong about these creatures, you can arrest both me and Barson, I won't even try to fight. But if I'm right and these creatures are real, then you will sign over full custody of these creatures to me and provide full police protection for my lab so that I can properly study them".

Frank frantically replied "You know I can't agree to something like that, I could lose my job".

Rose crossed her arms proudly "And if you don't, you could lose Barson and your whole case would go down the toilet".

The large cop bit his lip and feverishly sweated as he rubbed his brow, his overweighed physique weighing heavily as his mind raced for answers. Frank swallowed heavily as his thick, tanned neck flexed nervous muscles.

"So, what's it going to be Frank?" Rose eagerly asked.

The sweaty cop stared at the female scientist, with a glaring look of disgust and regretful defeat, the potato faced man sighed in defeat. Frank extended his hand to Rose and nodded his head.

Frank bit his lip "You've got one shot Rose, just tell me what to do".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	14. Discovery

Discovery

"ARGH" Matt cried out.

Sally frowned "Sorry about that, wasn't trying to hurt you".

Matt smiled a bit and simply nodded, knowing in his heart that Sally would never try to hurt him. In only a few short days, Matt felt closer to Sonic and his friends like they were his own family. Everything they did, everywhere they went, things ended up going nuts and craziness started to happen. Matt loved every minute of it. The aching human winced a bit as the bandage cloth was wrapped tighter around his arm; it grew bright red with blood.

The wound that was bleeding so heavily was from the shotgun blast he took from Sirius back at the Dead Plug bar. The human slowly sat up from the brick wall he was resting on, he felt his arm and smiled a little.

Matt grinned "Nice job Sally, regular Dr. Quinn".

Sally smiled but then blinked in confusion at the reference; Matt just laughed and shook his head.

Bunnie frowned "I still don't like this one little bit Matt. You look worse then a mud hog in July, we should have taken you to that hostel place you told us about".

Matt half laughed "Hospital and no, I told you guys we can't do that. The cops are already looking for me after that mess on the highway, chances are there going to be waiting for me at the hospital, just waiting for something like this to happen so I'll go right to them. They probably know about the toy store and the bar too".

Tails blinked "So what do we do?".

The wounded man replied "We lay low for a while, if we stay in this alley for a little bit then we can avoid leading the cops back to my house".

Sonic frowned a bit, his red sneaker tapping rapidly on the ground as he impatiently grunted and groaned. Sally elbowed him lightly.

"Sonic, do you mind? Were all a little on edge here" Sally said.

Sonic sighed "I'm sorry Sal, but I can't dig this twiddling our thumbs scene, it's just not me. I've gotta do something to keep myself busy otherwise I'm gonna go nuts".

Curiously examining the contents of his wallet, Matt grunted a bit as he leaned back a little more towards the wall and spotted a flickering neon sign. The sign was attached to an electronics store which Matt was clearly interested in.

Matt looked to Sonic "You want to pass the time a bit quicker?".

Sonic smirked "That's the plan my man, what'd you have in mind?".

The human lifted up a fistful of dollars and geared Sonic's glance towards the electronic store.

"Well if you still got one of those hoods I gave you, I might have an idea or two" Matt said.

Meanwhile, a few blocks away……

The racing shadows and figures danced across the black like glass of the police car, Rose's dark brown eyes pressed up closely against the window glass as she examined the streets. Frank groaned a bit as he continued to drive. The officer had a bad feeling deep down inside his massive gut, and it was only getting worse with each passing minute.

Rose whispered "Come on, come on, come on where are you, I know I saw you down this way".

Frank had already passed the trashed Dead Plug bar, it was already swarming with officers and they were already talking with several eyewitnesses. Of course, like Rose expected, most of the officers dismissed the witnesses testimony based on their so called "crazy reports". Time passed and as the streets continued to pass by slower and slower, Frank was starting to think he had made a mistake. Rose suddenly gasped out loud.

"STOP THE CAR" Rose screamed.

Frank nearly jumped out of his pants as he jammed on the brakes, the car screeched to a sudden halt. Rose threw the car door open and raced out to the sidewalk.

Frank snarled "Dammit Rose, you're really starting to piss me off".

The officer wobbled his weight stacked legs as he made his way over to the sidewalk, Frank grunted as his bitter and hate filled face glared angrily at Rose. Before Frank could pummel in more of his outraged remarks, Rose's discovery had finally caught the attention of the angry police officer. A thick trail of blood left clearly by Matt was seen directly on the sidewalk. Frank bent down and carefully examined the blood trail.

Rose smirked "It's him, it's him, I know it's him".

Frank groaned "How the hell can you tell if that's Barson blood or not, we haven't even started running tests on it".

Rose continued to grin "I know it's him Frank, I can feel it. This trail probably leads right back to the bar, which makes sense because your colleagues mentioned someone was shot. And I bet you anything if we follow it in the opposite direction, we'll find Barson and my specimens".

With nothing left to lose and no other cops in sight, Frank reluctantly went along with this and started to follow the blood trail. Both Frank and Rose stayed close as they traced the blood as Matt and the others were getting closer and closer. A strange sound started to become noticeable, Frank curiously lifted an eyebrow and cleaned out his ears just to make sure.

"Is it me or do you hear music?" Frank asked.

* * *

_This is my life  
Its not what it was before  
All these feelings I've shared  
And these are my dreams  
That I've never lived before  
Somebody shake me  
Cause I, I must be sleeping_

_And now that we're here,  
So far away  
All the struggle we thought was in vain  
And all the mistakes,  
One life contained  
They all finally start to go away  
And now that we're here its so far away  
And I feel like I can face the day  
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today_

_These are my words  
That I've never said before  
I think I'm doing ok  
And this is the smile  
That I've never shown before_

_Somebody shake me  
Cause I, I must be sleeping_

_And now that were here  
So far away  
All the struggle we thought was in vain  
And all mistakes one life contains  
They all finally start to go away  
And now that were here  
So far away  
And I feel like I can face the day  
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today_

_I'm so afraid of waking  
Please don't shake me  
Afraid of waking  
Please don't shake me_

_And now that were here  
So far away  
All the struggle we thought was in vain  
And all the mistakes one life contains  
They all finally start to go away  
And now that were here  
So far away  
And I feel like I can face the day  
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today_

(Lyrics for "So Far away" by Staind)

* * *

Sonic, Tails, Sally and Bunnie cheered and laughed, eagerly voicing their praise and delight towards the delightful sound that emanated from the small, red metal box.

Sonic laughed "Wow man that sounded awesome, I never heard music like that before Matt".

Bunnie giggled as she examined the metal box "Golly, what the heck do y'all call this thing again?".

Matt replied "It's called a radio, it's a device that picks up signals from things called stations that broadcast different kinds of music. Each frequency contains a different station and each station plays a different genre of music".

The furry creatures smiled and were obviously thrilled with the wondrous sounds that the radio played, another beautiful part of this strange new world. Sally seemed particularly pleased by the song. The furry princess's soft, chestnut colored cheeks lit up like twinkling lights in the midnight sky.

Sally smiled "That song was beautiful Matt, I really enjoyed it. We've got nothing like this back on Mobius. Tell me, does the song have a name?".

Matt chuckled a bit "Ironically the song is titled "so far away" and it's played by a band called Staind".

Sally blinked "A stain? The band names itself after dirt?".

"No, no, the band is called Staind but it doesn't mean they like dirty spots or anything. It's just what musicians do here. They create odd and unique names for their bands, to represent the diversity in their brand of music when compared to other music bands" Matt said.

The princess nodded and smiled, understanding what Matt had meant. As Sonic rubbed his white gloved fingers across the radio knob, Matt's face started to sweat, a look of concern and nervousness plastering his face with worried wrinkles.

Matt nervously asked "U-u-u-u-uh Sally?".

"Yes, what is it Matt?" Sally replied, smiling.

Matt gulped "I was t-t-thinking about……well you guys and your home and I uh I w-w-w-wanted to know that maybe, just maybe when you guys leave. Y-y-you wouldn't mind if I".

Tails butted in "Hey, can we hear more music from these Staind guys? Please Matt?".

BANG! BOOM!

The radio clattered to the ground and spewed forth a vast assortment of broken wiring, circuitry and other metallic objects. Tails screamed and jumped back from the busted radio. Sonic and the others quickly jumped back and stayed close to Matt's side, staying far away from the fallen radio. The radio had been shot, shot by a bullet belonging to a gun. The gun barrel smoked in Frank's nervous shaking hands, his eyes bulging with horror.

"Jesus Mary and Joseph" Frank gasped.

Rose grinned "I knew it, I absolutely knew it, Nobel Prize here I come".

Matt gasped "Oh no, they've found us".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	15. Torn Apart

Torn Apart

The Asian scientist smirked brightly as her eyes lit up like fireflies in the dark, shadowy clouds of the night. Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sonic and his furry friends stayed close to Matt, their angry eyes already glaring at this new human stranger. Suspicion and anxiety pumped vividly in Sonic's heart, his blood vessels pounding with tension.

Rose smiled "Marvelous, absolutely marvelous. All my life I've dreamed of discovering new life forms from other worlds, hoping that I could prove to mankind that life does exist past our own dimension".

Sonic frowned "Say what? Lady, you sound like you got a few screws missing".

The woman laughed "Remarkable, so simple and yet so intelligent".

Rose blinked as she spotted Bunnie and Tails, her brown eyes shined with reflections of the furry creatures deep within her chocolate colored irises. The scientist approached them with eager interest.

"Incredible, you've got two tails and you, your part machine, I didn't think it was" Rose said.

Sonic immediately speed dashed in front of Tails and Bunnie, his arms spread out defensively. The hedgehog's face was twisted up into a bitter snarl.

Sonic growled "Paws off lady".

Rose chuckled once more "Oh please, don't be so silly, you have nothing to fear from me. If anything you should be thanking me for finding you before things got worse".

Tails blinked in confusion "Worse?".

Rose smirked "Why yes, leaving such remarkable creatures in the hands of some grease stain off the streets is practically inhuman. I wouldn't dream of letting you beautiful majestic beings in the hands of such filth".

The words stung fiercely into Matt's worn and weary broken heart, the lonely man had already felt bad enough about ruining his own life, he didn't want to do the same to his new friends. Matt was already thinking that this woman might be for the best for Sonic and his friends. After all, what could a burnt out, drunken old fool like me give to such great friends like them Matt thought. Rose extended her hand to Tails who pulled back with fear.

CLANK!

Bunnie angrily grabbed the doctor's hand and lightly crushed her metallic digits across Rose's wrist, the woman gasped in pain.

"OW, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rose demanded.

Bunnie snorted "That grease stain is our friend potty mouth, and I reckon you think twice before bad mouthing him again".

The cyborg rabbit shoved Rose back and released her wrist, the dark haired scientist was completely baffled. Rose's young face reeked of complete confusion. Matt smiled and almost cried at such touching words, he mouthed a silent "thank you" to Bunnie before returning his attention back to Rose.

Rose blinked "You can't be serious? Don't you realize what I can offer?".

Sonic smirked "I think I speak for all of us when I say, we don't know and we don't care".

Rose frowned "Don't be a fool. Look at him, he's a mess, he can barely keep himself alive and sober, let alone take care of 4 creatures such as yourselves. I have resources, I have the technology and the money to give you everything you ever wanted. Proper food, the finest education, luxuries and trinkets beyond your wildest imaginations, I could give it all to you.

But instead you're choosing him, him of all people? I don't believe it".

Sally crossed her arms and frowned "I may be from out of town, but I'm still a princess ma'am and I'm ordering you to leave us alone now".

"What?" Rose screamed.

Sally continued "Matt is our friend, he has helped us, fed us, and cared for us when he could have easily sold us to a circus or taken advantage of us. He's been kind to us since day one. And whether you see him as a saint or a sinner, we know the goodness in his heart and we'd rather take our chances with a grease stain like him then a witch like yourself".

Frank stared at the bewildered professor, Rose's eyes and lips couldn't blink or speak without stuttering in shock. Everything she had dreamed of was simply walking out the door. Sonic, Sally and Matt started to turn their backs to the stunned professor, Tails and Bunnie soon followed.

Rose growled "If you're not going to fight clean then I'm going to have to play dirty".

The loud click of Frank's pistol hammer locked into place, Matt immediately stood still as his mouth quivered with fear. Sonic and Bunnie angrily turned around to face the vengeful woman and the large officer.

Rose spoke "If you creatures are too stupid to see the chance of a lifetime, then you leave me no other choice. I've come too far to be stopped by the likes of a drunken old man. Either you come to my lab with me, or I'll shoot him dead on the spot".

Frank blinked at Rose's words, Matt turned around and growled, searching for a weapon on the ground. The cop raised his gun and aimed at Matt.

"Hold it right there speedy, you still got a lot of black marks on your record" Frank said.

Sonic snarled "Yeah, just try it fat man, we'll mess you up faster then you can chunk your pants".

Tails nodded "Sonic's right, I say we show these guys what we can do".

Rose laughed "As much as I would like to see that, you'd be making a grave error in doing so".

Bunnie snarled "Oh yeah and why's that honey?".

The woman removed something from the back of her flowing, white lab coat. Rose flashed the item before Sonic and the other's eyes. Matt gasped as the golden glow of the round object flashed brightly into his eyes.

It was a power ring.

No doubt the same power ring Sonic and the others were holding when they were zapped into this world, Matt growled bitterly.

Rose explained "I found this on the night of you're little party on the highway. My assistant, Trevor picked it up and I was fortunate enough to be able to sneak it out before Frank's men discovered it. I'm not exactly sure what it does, but judging by the looks on your faces, it's of great importance to you".

Sally gasped "Sonic, that power ring must have been what brought us into the world".

Sonic sighed "Yeah I know, and as much as I hate to admit it, I think this babe's on the level. Without that thing I doubt we'll be able to get back home".

Silence chilled the dark, cramped walls of the alleyway as a standstill had been reached between Sonic and Professor Rose. Matt silently cursed.

Rose spoke again "So, here's the deal. If you fur balls agree to leave Matt and return to my lab with me, I promise he won't be harmed. Otherwise, I'll destroy this ring right here right now and Officer Frank here will shoot Barson dead on the spot for resisting arrest".

Sonic's anger skyrocketed into a vicious snarl, the hedgehog almost leapt right out of his red sneakers to attack the heartless woman. But Matt placed his weary hand on Sonic's shoulder and shook his head.

"No Sonic, I'll do what she says, you win lady" Matt said.

Sonic protested "But Matt, you've gotta be kidding me. We can't just leave you like this".

Sally nodded "Sonic's right, you're our friend and were not going to let you throw your life away just for us".

Matt shook his head "I'm sorry guys but my mind's made up, end of story. That ring of yours might be the only way you can go back home and I can't take that away from you. At least this way you guys got a fighting chance".

Rose coldly smiled as Matt raised his hands in the air and walked towards Frank. The overweight officer sighed as he reluctantly slapped the cuffs on Matt's wrists, a deep swallow of regret lay deep inside the back of his throat. Sonic tried to rescue Matt but Sally put her arm against him and held him back, Bunnie and Tails sniffled a few tears as they watched Matt walk away. Frank shoved Matt into the back of his cop car and locked the doors tight.

Frank sighed "All right doc, you win, you got your police protection. There on their way with a wagon, you can use it to take these critters back to your laboratory".

Rose smiled "A pleasure doing business with you Frank, be sure to keep an eye for out my name in the newspapers".

Flashing red and blue lights shined across the black brick walls of the alleyway as the other officers arrived. Five black suited, heavily armored SWAT like officers arrived with night sticks and tazors. Tails nervously held onto Sonic as the SWAT members surrounded them.

"The world will soon chant the name: Professor Selene Rose" the woman cackled.

30 minutes later……

Sonic, Sally, Tails, and Bunnie sat in the back of a massive, cold, hard steel covered police wagon with high tech shackles attached to their arms and legs. Sonic grunted and groaned as he tried to move his red sneakers into a sonic dash. Bunnie also struggled with her collar, trying to use her metallic arm to yank off the steel collar wrapped tightly around her orange neck.

BZZT!

Bunnie squeaked in pain as her frizzled, orange fur started to smoke. The southern belle had some sort of super electronic protection system installed into her shackles, no doubt to restrain her mechanical limbs. Sally sighed and stared her luminous blue orbs onto the ice cold floor with sorrow.

Tails whimpered a bit "Sonic?".

Sonic turned to his fox friend as he replied "Yeah little buddy?".

Tails gulped "What's going to happen to us?".

The blue hedgehog bit his lip, fearing the answer he should give. A deep, dark feeling of dread started to brew in Sonic's nervous beating heart.

Sonic sighed "I don't know little buddy……I just don't know".

A tight squeeze suddenly grappled Sonic's white gloved hand, he looked next to him to see Sally's warm, dove like fingers wrapped around his palm.

Sally whispered "I hate to admit it Sonic but……I'm scared".

Sonic nodded "I know, I know, but we'll think of something Sally, I promise".

The rest of the furry Mobian's remained silent, their tear filled eyes staring at the small, square sized window at the back of the police wagon. The window was a locked door, a door to a world they'd never see again, a world without Matt. Their heartbroken tears providing little warmth as it trickled down their bodies onto the cold, steel floor.

Speaking of Matt……

"Just sit tit, we'll be at the station before you know it. God only knows what the doc's got mind for you're furry little playmates" Frank half chuckled.

Matt sulked his hollow eyes against the iron bars cornering off the windows of the police car. The young man sighed and shivered as his cold tears dribbled down his, silent, soft, whispering lips.

"Yeah, god only knows" Matt said……

* * *

_I must give the impression  
that I have the answers for everything.  
You were so disappointed  
to see me unravel so easily.  
It's only change  
only everything I know  
even the things  
that seem still are still changing.  
_

_La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da  
La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da  
_

_mother misses her baby  
but I only wanted to be me  
she changed address and haircuts  
and boyfriends and light bulbs it's easy   
but it's only change  
only everything I know  
even the things  
that seem still are still changing  
_

_La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da  
La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da  
_

_I stay focused on details  
it keeps me from feeling the big things  
but watch the microscope long enough  
things that seem still are still changing  
_

_La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da  
La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da  
_

_even the things that seem still are still changing  
even the things that seem still are still  
even the things that seem still are still changing  
even the things that seem still are still changing   
_

_La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da  
La da la da la da da da da da la da la da da la da da da_

("Still" lyrics provided by Ben Folds)

* * *

To be continued…… 


	16. Reality

Reality

CLANK!

CLANK!

The slamming, ear shattering sound of cold metal chilled the inhuman bones and blood that boiled fiercely in Sonic's cuffed wrists. The blue hedgehog struggled as he was forced upon a large, metallic table and strapped down to it like a slave. Sally, Bunnie, Tails, and Sonic had made it to Rose's lab, and they were now being strapped down for further examination and possibly, dissection. Armed police guards surrounded every door and window nearby.

Massive weapons were locked and sitting in the officers black gloved hands, preparing to blow away anything that disturbed the twisted doctor as she performed her experiments.

"Talk about you're hospitality" Sonic grumbled.

The laboratory had been completely sealed off by iron, metallic doors blocking the windows, armored locks on all doors, and guards at every inch of the room. Professor Rose smiled and grasped her hands gently together, her digits interlocking as her face brightened up at the sight of her 4 new specimens.

Rose gasped "Wonderful, absolutely wonderful, it's going to be a supreme honor getting to know you fine furry creatures".

Bunnie scoffed "Ya'll pardon us if the feeling ain't mutual sister".

Tails eagerly added "YEAH, what she said".

Rose frowned and jammed her jade colored fingernails across a red button, Bunnie suddenly squealed as violent, electrical shocks pulsated through her body. The rabbit groaned a bit as her fur was singed and smoking a little.

"Good thing I equipped your collars with micro electro magnetic inhibitors, isn't it Miss Cotton tail? Can't have those pesky cybernetic limbs of yours spoiling my fun, although they are _quite_ fascinating" Rose said.

Trevor growled as he bitterly cursed under his breath, his nervous, dark skinned hands angrily grabbed at his desk chair. The young man hated every minute of this. Everything about this situation felt wrong to him, and Rose's sadistically eerie, eager urge to examine these creatures was only making Trevor feel worse. Sonic groaned as he pulled and struggle, his blue quills squished against the pressing steel of the table. Rose chuckled at Sonic.

The woman smirked "Struggle all you like, you'll never break those bonds. I knew that you creatures possessed unique powers, that's why I paid top dollar to make sure no living thing could break free from those cuffs".

Sally frowned "What exactly are you hoping to find inside of us professor? Just because we look different doesn't mean we ARE different, cut us open and all you're going to find is a difference in facial hair".

The gleaming shimmer of a shining blade gleamed brightly in Rose's brown eyes, and Sally's ocean blue orbs.

"Is that so? Well then, there's only one way to be sure" Rose said.

The princess gulped a bit as the blade whirred to life and buzzed around like a high powered pizza cutter. The jagged blades around the whirling disc slowly approached Sally's body, the princess winced and struggled as her brown, angelic body squirmed to move away from it. Rose smirked as she leaned close and aimed the whirring blade at Sally's chest. The princess trembled with fear, her chestnut brown belly fur standing directly on edge.

The buzzing blade was mere inches from Sally's chest as she closed her eyes and waited to hear the crunch.

SPLAT!

Rose gasped as a glob of spit struck her face, Asian features bitterly turned into a savage snarl as she looked in Sonic's direction. The hedgehog's mouth was fresh and wet, teeth gnarled into a loathsome growl at the professor.

Sonic shouted "Hey, doctor bitch! Anything you got to say to Sally, you say to ME first".

Bunnie and Tails gasped as they watched Sonic, secretly whispering to be quiet in fear of what might happen to him. Officers aimed their weapons at Sonic but Rose raised her hand and shook her head. The armored cops nodded and pulled back, Rose looked to Sonic and turned off the buzz saw blade. The scientist pulled a small silver object from her coat, unseen by all. The woman approached Sonic and seemingly carelessly stroked his legs.

"HA" Rose screamed.

Sonic cried out in pain as a scalpel knife was jammed into his left leg, Tails cried out for Sonic as the others joined him in struggle. Bunnie screamed as the shocks became more violent each time she jerked her bionic muscles. Rose grappled Sonic by the spiny head and stared straight into his green eyes.

Rose said "You're lucky I need you alive……for now. But don't bother with these cheap heroics anymore rodent, sooner or later you're all going under the knife whether you like it or not. The world will know of your kind and pay me a fortune just to put your repulsive, freak show carcasses on display. You belong to me, and that's the way it is".

Sonic frowned "It ain't gonna happen. Matt's going to save us, and when he does, were gonna be getting as far away from your sorry ass as possible, straight back to Mobius".

The woman raised the golden power ring before Sonic's eyes and laughed, as if mocking the hedgehog with his golden ticket back home.

Rose continued "So long as I have this, you're not going anywhere. And as for that worthless waste of flesh you call Matt, he'll be spending the rest of his pitiful days in a jail cell, rotting away. And there's nothing you can do about it".

* * *

Meanwhile back in Mobius……

"What do you mean there iz nothing you can do monsieur Rotor?" Antoine asked.

The purple walrus sighed; Rotor was too busy rummaging through his unorganized, stock pile of machine parts and microchips to even answer Antoine. The French coyote frowned and crossed his arms impatiently.

Rotor sighed "Exactly what I said Antoine, there is NO way we can get them back, not without a miracle anyway".

Antoine rolled his eyes "Oh pleeze don't be zo automatic".

Rotor groaned "That's melodramatic".

Antoine slapped his face "Who iz caring? All zat I care about iz getting Zonic, my princess, and Tails back home before it iz too late".

Rotor approached a green chalkboard and wiped it clean with a oil stained, hand rag. The walrus flipped his yellow cap backwards as he scribbled on the chalkboard and tried to explain to Antoine what was going on.

Rotor explained "Look, Sonic and the others were transported by a combination of mystical and natural based elements. The storm and the power ring. The lighting somehow absorbed the magic of the ring and mixed their energies together, tearing a hole in space and into another dimension. Even if we don't know where we are, we can at least track the power ring.

All power rings have a unique energy signal, and the signals are so strong they can still be detected even if their on another planet for example".

Antoine blinked "So zen what iz le problem?".

Rotor shook his head "The problem is that it's going to take another storm and another power ring to get them back. And what's worse, is that both worlds must be linked together simultaneously with identical events. In other words, both worlds got to have storms and power rings activating at the same time. The process has to be duplicated almost exactly for it to work.

Sonic and the others will have to find a storm, take the power ring, hold onto it at the same time and wait to be hit with an energy wave. The only way to make the same energy wave that brought them there, is to create a storm in our world with a new power ring at the same time".

Antoine nodded "I zee, well we have the power ring and Zonic will no doubt be able to reclaim ze ring he haz, but what about ze storms?".

Rotor frowned "Well I do have a weather machine but it's still got a few bugs in it, and there's no guarantee it'll give us the kind of weather we want. But as for the storm in the other world……well were just going to leave that one up to fate".

* * *

Back on Earth……

The dull, drowning darkness danced across the lifeless window that echoed Matt's eyes of sadness and despair. A wretched feeling of disgust and horror ate away at his stomach as the man sat back and sobbed into his steel cuffs. In just a matter of moments his whole life had been destroyed for a second time. His friends, his family, his freedom, it had all been taken away and torn apart, right before his very eyes. Matt angrily kicked the car seat.

Frank grunted "Hey, knock it off back there, you're only gonna hurt yourself if you do that".

Matt snapped "You sold my friends to the god damned devil you BASTARD".

The bulky officer opened the black cage blocking off Matt's seat from his own, and smashed his gun across Matt's face. The man cried out in pain as he was struck and fell straight to the floor of the car.

"OW" Matt winced, feeling his face start to bleed a little.

But as Matt started to get up, he winced again as he felt something sharp painfully jabbing at his back. The man jerked his eyes back as he tried to see what was poking him. Matt gasped. A small, sharp, blue spine like needle was seen sticking outside of his coat.

"It must have come off of Sonic's back when he helped me out of the bar" Matt thought to himself.

Fumbling fingers twisted and turned around the handcuffs, secretly grabbing the blue quill and jamming it into the lock. Matt silently worked on the cuffs as the officer continued to drive, slowly but surely cracking the lock mechanism, and unlocking the hand cuffs.

15 minutes later……

Frank grumbled a bit "All right hot shot, get out of the OOF".

A powerful fist smashed across Frank's face, and a second fist plowed into his gut. Matt grabbed the cop's gun and ripped it out of the holster.

Matt sighed "I'm really sorry about this".

Matt crashed the gun into the back of Frank's head and knocked him unconscious; he then grabbed Frank's car keys and rushed back into the cop car.

"Hey you, in the car, stop right there" a voice shouted.

The police officers had spotted Matt, he had no choice but to step on the gas and floor the car into full speed. Screaming tires sliced into the pavement as Matt rushed across the road, nothing but fear and friendship boiling in his quivering gray eyes. Bullets splatter across the windshield as glass shattered all around Matt. The young man ignores it and pressed on, as he feels the ground rapidly racing under his foot as he pushed down on the gas pedal.

Matt smiled "Hold on just little longer guys, I'm coming for you".

* * *

To be continued…… 


	17. The Price of Love

The Price of Love

The rushing chill of the wind……

The boiling fury in my blood……

The nervous fear striking my heart……

The unknown horror creeping into my thoughts……

Is this the feeling?

Is this the warmth?

Is this love?

Is this the love of a……of a……

_Family……_

Matt was almost on the verge of tears, his face brighter and happier then he had ever felt in years. The rush of the racing police car felt like nothing to him. There was no word that could explain this joy, no emotion that could define this power, the love of a family is burning brightly within Matt's heart and not even god himself could take that away from him.

Matt smiled "This is why, this is why it didn't work out before, and this is what was missing. The love, the friendship, the care, the unspoken paradise that is: a family. Honey, kids, Sonic, my friends, my family, I'm coming for you, I'm coming to take you home, I'M COMING FOR MY FAMILY".

* * *

Sonic screamed as a violent spark of electricity compelled his body to use his super sonic speed, red and green wires sparkled wildly with raw energy. Rose gasped in awe as her scanners lit up like birthday candles with numbers, lights, and sounds.

Rose gasped "Incredible, you're body has an unnatural metabolic rate. You're molecules are moving so fast, they could practically burn through solid matter. What a fantastic creature".

Sonic frowned "Bite me".

The woman ignored his childish banter and moved onto Tails, the young fox huffed and snarled as she examined his twin tails. Tails grunted in pain as Rose clamped a rusty pair of tweezers upon the white fur of his twin tails.

"Do all foxes from your world have twin tails, or are you some kind of anomaly like you're hedgehog friend here?" Rose asked.

SLAP!

Tails slapped Rose's face with his tails, thought restrained; the young fox boy was able to move them enough to slap the young woman across her bitter face. Rose's dark hair was nearly torn out by her frustrated and straggling hands.

Rose growled "I'm getting sick and tired of putting up with this crap; you WILL accept your fate even if I have to rip off every ounce of fur on your bodies to do it".

Bunnie laughed "Now that ain't too polite there missy, now if you was half the person old sugar Matt is, well then things might be different for ya'll".

Enraged at the comparison to such a feeble, filthy, lower life form as Rose saw him, the Asian woman stormed by Bunnie and grabbed Bunnie by her soft, golden yellow fur.

"What the hell makes that dirt bag so damn special to you freaks?" Rose hissed.

Bunnie smirked "Sugar Matt may not be squeaky clean, but his heart is warmer then an apple pie in July. He loves us for who we are, not _what_ we are. And sure as shoot, not for some darn tooting science fair project".

Rose growled and slapped Bunnie across the face, her hand struck fresh, red blood on Bunnie's white furry cheeks. But the cyborg rabbit simply turned her face back towards Rose and grinned, smirking a proud and defiant little smile, even with that spot of blood. The bitter professor returned to her research tools and frantically tossed them across the floor like garbage. Trevor sighed as his head slumped down, grasping his hands over it.

"This has to stop; it HAS to, but how?" Trevor asked himself.

Suddenly a car flashed across the security monitors, Trevor blinked as he saw a cop car race into view of the lab's security cameras. Trevor had been charged with watching the security tapes so he could not interfere with Rose's experiments. The cop car crashed through a pair of iron gates, wild sparks exploded around the car as Matt continued to drive it forward, faster and faster. A red light appeared on the panel, it was the security alarm.

CLICK!

Trevor smirked as he flipped the switch off, deactivating the security system and silencing all emergency alarms. Rose wouldn't realize what has happened until it's too late.

Trevor chuckled "Karma professor, karma".

Rose blinked "What are you babbling about now Trevor?".

CRASH!

A police car exploded from the sidewall, tons of rubble and stone suddenly melted into a heaping pile of fractured rock. Rose screamed and leapt away from the wall as 2 guards were violently hurled across the room from the force of the car. Matt exited the car with a pistol in his right hand, he winced as the blood continued to stain his wounded left arm.

Matt smirked "Hey guys, miss me?"

"MATT" Sonic and the others shouted, their faces were brimming with absolute joy.

Trevor smirked to his former professor and bolted towards the massive hole in the wall, Matt gasped and stood aside as the man ran past him. A loud echo from the hallway could be heard.

"I QUIT" Trevor screamed.

Rose angrily snarled and shouted at her security team, demanding they open fire on Matt immediately. But Matt simply coughed and reminded her of the pistol he firmly carried in his good hand. The gun was aimed directly at Professor Rose, Matt's face was stern and cold, and rage could be seen boiling within those tired gray eyes.

Matt frowned "Drop your weapons right now, or I drop the doc".

As much as the young professor hated the situation, she had no choice but to abide by Matt's rules. Rose signaled the guards to drop their weapons to the ground.

Matt added "Now kick them away and get the hell out of here. The only one who stays is Rose, anyone else who sticks around will get a bullet right between the eyes. Now move".

The guards nodded and slowly made their way out of the building, each guard had his black gloved hands raised high in the air. Rose remained still as stone as her brown eyes reflected in the shimmering glow of the gun's barrel, aimed so hatefully at her head. Sweat dribbled off the poorly shaven chin of Matt's sunken face, half smiling features flexed aching muscles. The young man has been through hell and back, but he hasn't given up just yet.

Matt already knew the guards were amassing a colossal army of police officers, detectives, and task force operatives. A legion of men clad in black, armed to the teeth with weapons powerful enough to kill him within an instant. But no amount of death or lethal force could scare the love of a family out of this man. Matt was here for those who were there for him, for creatures who came from the unknown, for creatures who……loved Matt.

Rose gulped "So what now?".

Matt smirked "This".

BANG!

The professor screamed as the bullet bounced in front of her feet, Rose leapt out of her heels and crashed into a table. The woman fell behind the table and groaned as her dark haired head crashed against the cold, hard, floor. Matt quickly ran to his friends and dropped the gun, picking up a steel pipe off the floor, no doubt a piece of the wall that the cop car had plowed through when Matt had made his entrance. Tails smiled brightly at Matt.

"Matt, oh my gosh, I thought they took you away for good" Tails said.

Bunnie smiled "I never doubted you for a minute sugar".

Matt sighed "You don't know how good it is to see your faces again".

Sally warmly smiled "Same to you Matt, same to you".

The young man groaned as he jammed the metal pipe into Sally's wrist shackles, Matt growled as he fiercely dug the pipe deeper and deeper. Matt was trying to separate the lock mechanism from the bolts attaching it to the table. Dark hairs flexed under sweat soaked stress as Matt tried to snap open the shackles.

Sonic smirked "Perfect timing Matt, and nice trick with the car there buddy. How'd you get free anyway?".

Matt laughed "Let's just say, don't ever try to dull down those spines of yours, there a life savor".

Sally blinked "Say Matt, wasn't there something you wanted to ask me before?".

"Huh? What do you mean?" Matt said, staring blankly at Sally.

The princess hummed a bit "You know, you said you wanted to ask me a favor before that woman came in and arrested us".

Matt smiled "Oh yeah……that well you see the thing is Sally, I uh I……I was wondering if you guys wouldn't mind".

Sonic groaned "Uh I hate to be a buzz kill here guys but could we finish this AFTER we get free?".

Matt laughed and slapped himself in the face, he nodded and returned to working on Sally's shackles. A loud clanking snap was heard as he managed to loosen up one of Sally's hand cuffs.

"Don't worry guys, I'll have you out in a jiffy, I'm just glad this whole mess is over and done with" Matt said.

BANG!

Rose scowled "So am I".

The thunderous sound of death shredded the serenity of the reunion between Matt and his friends in one, single, heart wrenching snap of a trigger. The steel pipe dropped from Matt's hands as his eyes widened and lips gasped for air. A large red stain formed on Matt's chest as it bled through his dark shirt and brown coat. Rose stood behind the desk with a smoking pistol in her hands, an empty bullet shell dropped to the floor beside her bare feet.

The professor had a hidden gun inside her desk, she must have taken it out while Matt was trying to rescue Tails and the others. Sonic and Sally were speechless, their eyes were swelling up with tears without even blinking a single wink. Matt touched his bleeding chest and managed a weak laugh. The human looked up weakly at Sonic as his legs started to tremble.

"I'm……sorry" Matt wheezed.

The young man dropped down as blood spilled from his cold lips, the warmth of his bodily fluids seeping into his clothes provided little warmth for the dying soul.

Sally screamed as heart burst with sadness "NO".

"Matt……Matt……MAAAAAAAATT" Sonic screamed.

* * *

To be continued…… 


	18. Into the Dark

Into the Dark

The ocean of love that bathed the four creatures was suddenly raped away in a blinking flash of lifeless smoke, heated metal, and splattering blood. Shadows crushed the very soul from a life, longing for this world, no more. A blank face stared into the heavens with blood trickling from his lips, trembling and quivering.

"Matt……please no" Sally whimpered.

The princess's tears swelled up, engulfing those beautiful diamonds of black and blue she called eyes. The sight of Matt's body lying there made her sick inside. Tails and Bunnie burst with tears as they writhed angrily against their cold, fur ripping shackles. Flesh snapped as the creatures fur ripped off chunks against the metallic shackles.

Sonic gasped "How could you, how could you, how could you?".

Rose smirked "Simple, I pointed and squeezed. One little click of the barrel and a whole world of problems fades away in a puff of smoke and blood".

"You're a monster" Bunnie scowled.

The professor laughed "Greatness doesn't come without a price, and I won't be great as long as this grease stain is still breathing".

Rose turned to the hallways and shouted to her guards, thick stomping black boots loudly echoed through out the halls. Armored soldiers and heavily armed police officers entered the laboratory and surrounded the area. The sight of Matt's body disturbed most of them, Rose scoffed and tossed her pistol aside.

"Get that body out of here and keep your guns sharp, I don't want my little prized pets getting any ideas" Rose said.

_Grrrrrrrr……_

_Grrrrrrrr……_

_Grrrrrrrr……_

Those strange, inhuman sounds were coming from Sonic's lips, the blue hedgehog was thrashing violently against his shackles. The table bounced as screws dropped down from Sonic's wrist cuffs. Rose gasped as the hedgehog was acting like a wild animal, veins sprouted over Sonic's body as his eyes started to glow blood red. Sally gasped as she watched Sonic.

Rose shouted "STOP HIM, stop him now, hold him down before he breaks free, quickly, quickly".

The officers rushed to Sonic's table and grabbed his thrashing arms and legs, pulsating muscles bulged in Sonic's thin, toothpick like blue legs. Sonic snarled as drool dripped from his barking lips like a wild dog. A guard screamed as Sonic's red sneaker kicked him into the air, the guard went flying like a Frisbee. Rose gasped as more and more guards were sent, and more and more of them were hurled back. Sonic seemed almost unstoppable.

"Oh mah stars, look at sugar hog's back" Bunnie exclaimed.

Sonic's bright, blue spines were changing into a bright, golden color. The spiky appendages turned upwards and melted into the powerful, electrical shade of gold that was covering his entire body. Wild sparks shot out from Sonic's wrists as they blasted off his cuffs.

Sally gasped "Everyone hang on".

Tails and Bunnie squeaked as the sparks blasted off their cuffs too, Sally smiled as she rubbed her wrists.

"What the hell is going on here?" Rose screamed.

FLASH!

Sonic's transformation was now complete. The hedgehog's body was now completely gold, raw electricity circled and surged around him like a coiling snake. Blood red eyes boiled behind thick, coal black orbs that burned fiercely with the raw, seething hatred for the female professor. Sally and the other stayed close behind Sonic as he faced the army of officers and guards.

Rose gulped "Who are you, what are you?".

The hedgehog growled a response, his voice was almost demonic and didn't sound like Sonic's voice at all.

"_I am the guardian of light, I am the servant to all that is pure, I am the protector of peace, I am **Super Sonic! **But more importantly, I am the friend of the man YOU just murdered……and your time is way past over"_

The professor screamed and ordered her troops to fire, the guards unloaded a blinding barrage of bullets and gunfire. Hundreds of silver shells screamed towards the four furry creatures with a blinding fury of which no man could survive. Tails screamed and held his hands up to seemingly shield himself from the bullets.

WHOOSH!

A barrier of light was formed around them, the bullets smashed into the barrier and disintegrated into piles of dust and ash. Super Sonic frowned and removed the barrier as the stunned faces of the guards looked upon in horror.

"My turn" Super Sonic replied.

The golden hedgehog roared off his sparkling shoes and smashed them across a guard's face, the man dropped to the ground, his face bleeding and bruised from the kick. Super Sonic leapt again and struck another guard and another, creating a vicious cycle of revenge. Bunnie and Tails screamed as they bravely followed their friend's example and attacked the guards. Bunnie's metallic arm stretched out and flipped the guards into the air.

Tails screamed "For Matt".

The twin tailed fox flew into the air and kicked a guard right in the head, he then spun around and delivered a hammer punch with both his arms. The three furry heroes plowed their way through guard after guard, shattering their bones and smashing their weapons. Sally sighed as tears continued to dampen the chestnut colored cheeks of her angelic face. The princess cradled Matt's head into her lap as his weak lips struggled to form words.

Sally sniffled "Shhhh, don't speak Matt, I'm here, I'm here with you".

Matt gagged "S-s-s-s-sonic you c-c-can't let him".

As the princess leaned in to try and understand Matt's weak and whispery words, Sonic raged on into his heated battle with the guards. Tails and Bunnie leapt into the air and drop kicked 4 guards to the floor. The cyborg rabbit screamed with fury as her robot arm blasted a powerful beam into a guard behind Tails. The fox nodded a thank you to Bunnie as he flipped his twin tails to trip another pair of guards, Tails smirked as the guards dropped.

The blinding gold flashes of light surrounding the guards grew brighter and faster. Each guard screaming, falling, and flying through the air was no doubt a sign of Super Sonic's whereabouts. Rose's smeared red lips panted for gasps of fresh air, as the woman desperately tried to crawl her way out of here. Bare feet flexed as her trembling legs silently pushed the female professor towards the door. Super Sonic growled and turned towards Rose.

"Going some where professor?" the golden hedgehog hissed.

Rose screamed as a massive table was hurled at the door, the table crashed into the door, completely cutting Rose's escape route off. The woman nervously kicked her feet against the ground, trying to push herself away from the golden, spiky haired demon. Super Sonic approached Rose with a glowing charge of electric energy in one of his white gloved hands.

Rose panicked "Now wait, wait one second here. I d-d-d-didn't mean to shoot him, h-h-h-honestly, it was just an accident".

Super Sonic growled "Yeah, like how my fist is about to come smashing through your head, just another _accident _like you said".

The woman screamed "Please no, you can't do this, you can't. I'm begging you, please, PLEASE. Show some mercy".

The golden hedgehog roared as he crushed his hands around Rose's slender neck, her tanned skin turning blue as her vocal chords were being crushed. Rose gagged and choked for air as she weakly grabbed Super Sonic's hands. Super Sonic smirked as he crushed tighter and harder, he could almost hear her black heart starting to slow down, he was loving every minute of this.

Tails gasped "Sonic NO, don't do it".

Bunnie added "Don't kill her sugar hog, you're better then that".

Super Sonic ignored them "Stay out of this, she killed Matt without even a second thought. Where was her so called mercy when she pulled the trigger? This madness ends, and she dies RIGHT NOW".

Angrily raising a golden charged fist, Super Sonic snarled as he prepared to end Rose's life forever.

"STOP"

Sonic gasped at that voice, he turned around to see a weak, crippled, and bleeding human being, cradled in Sally's arms like a child. It was Matt. The man choked for air as his shirt and mouth remain stained with blood, Matt's lungs slowly giving out as his heartbeat grew weaker and weaker.

Matt weakly spoke "Don't destroy who you are for a sniveling worm like her Sonic. You're better then this, you're not like Rose, you're not a murderer. If you kill her now, it will destroy you inside and out. Your whole life will be tormented by that terrible choice you made out of anger and hate.

This isn't the way Sonic, this isn't what you showed me.

You showed me that hope can exist, and where there's hope, there's a chance, a chance for peace and love. Don't throw away everything you've worked so hard to create, look inside your heart, and do what you know inside is right. I love you Sonic……and I trust you".

The glowing golden warrior of rage and vengeance sighed as he knew Matt's words were true, Super Sonic dropped Rose. The woman gasped as she desperately rubbed her neck and breathed in deep. Super Sonic blinked back tears as he went to Matt and hugged him, golden arms gently holding the man he loved and cherished so much. Matt smiled and whispered thank you to his friend. Sally and Sonic carried Matt as he they headed to the exit.

Rose's face twisted into a bitter sea of unbridled loathing, her life's work was walking out the door and there was nothing she could do about it.

Or was there?

The professor's eyes gleamed brightly as the metallic handle of the gun she used earlier shined brightly in her chocolate, brown colored eyes. Rose grabbed the gun and aimed it directly at the back of Super Sonic's head.

"If can't have them……then no one can" Rose said.

BANG!

The bullet struck Super Sonic right in the back of his golden, spiky head. Rose gasped as the bullet bounced right off and headed right back towards her. The woman cried out before feeling a warm, cool rush of fresh air in her mind. The bullet had shot Rose right in the head when it bounced back from Sonic's. Rose collapsed face down on the floor, dead.

"It's time we went home" Super Sonic said.

The golden hedgehog removed his bronze like glow and turned around and grabbed something, it was the power ring. Thundering storm clouds rattled their booming roars over the black, midnight skies as rain started to fall. Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, and Tails exited the building with Matt and the power ring in their hands. With little care of the heavily armored police squadrons waiting outside, watching them walk away, Sonic and the others moved on.

The bleeding body of a dying human being rested firmly in Bunnie's hands. Officer Frank gasped as he watched the creatures walk away, ignoring the chilling sting of the rain, the thundering sounds of the sky, and the burning eyes of the police squads. The guards loaded their weapons and readily aimed them in Sonic's direction.

Frank shook his head "Stand down, hold your fire; just……let them pass".

The thousands of men, bracing the storm and preparing their firearms stood with blank stares on their soaked faces. Sonic and his friends embraced the skin peeling cold of the icy rain, walking through it proudly in hand in hand, ignoring the rest of the world. The happiness and sunshine in their hearts had been sucked dry, nothing but darkness now collected their hollow, empty souls. Nothing in this or any other world could describe this awful sorrow.

Stirring motions came from Matt's weakened body, the cold rain and the thundering lighting stirred what little life left in Matt awake. Sally tenderly stroked Matt's face, feeling her slender brown fingers became wet and drenched from the hammering showers.

Sally asked softly "Yes, what is it Matt?".

Matt coughed "I figure now's a good a time as ever (laughs weakly), there's something I wanted to ask you".

The princess smiled sadly "Anything Matt anything".

The golden power ring started to glow bright in Tails hand, the energy of the glow grew stronger as Sonic's ruby red sneakers stepped onto the highway.

Matt smiled "I wanted to know if I could come back with you guys, to Mobius. I think I could be happier there……with you……with my family".

Massive tears in the black, thundering sky started to form.

Sally cried as she nodded to Matt "Sure Matt, we'd be happy to have you".

Bunnie smiled and cried "Sure enough sugar".

The human stared into the abysmal, storm laced sky, staring through clouds of darkness and bolts of lighting stretching to the heavens. The cold rain cooling his withering soul as Matt felt his heartbeat fading faster and faster.

Matt weakly laughed "Billy, Trina, daddy's sorry he couldn't get the chance to see you again. Just know that you're in my prayers and someday, I'll see you again. Sonic, Sally, Tails, Bunnie, I can't thank you enough. I never thought riff raff like me could feel so much happiness……so much love.

The day you jumped me in my alleyway was the……the happiest day of my life. I can see Mobius now (eyes start to shake). I hope the oceans are as blue as they are in my dreams, I hope the skies are as clear as the heavens, I hope I can meet your friends and tell them how much……I love you……I hope".

_The portal closed……_

_The four creatures vanished……_

_The ring stopped glowing……_

_Matt is **dead**……_

* * *

3 days later……

Back on Mobius……

Rotor rubbed the back of his purple skull, his cat like whiskers twitching a little as he watched Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, and Tails walk up a grassy hill. The hill's grass was a beautiful, sparkling emerald green. A large tree stood at the top of the hill. The tree's shade cast down upon a small block, a headstone shaped block. Sonic and the others strolled upwards towards the headstone, each one was carrying a bouquet of different colored flowers.

Antoine and Rotor sighed as they watched the 4 go up the hill, the boys scratched their heads and looked at each other.

Antoine blinked "Zo zey did not zay much when zay arrived?".

Rotor shrugged "No, they were dead quiet. It's been three days since they came back with that overlander, and it looks like there really having a hard time getting over it".

The French coyote sighed "I only wish we could help zome how".

Rotor replied "I know, I know. This Matt guy really meant the world to them, I've never seen Sally or Sonic or any of them this serious before".

Antoine hummed to himself "I wonder who he was".

Tails and Sonic stood and stared at the gray stone, their eyes sniffling back tears as their hearts felt weaker and weaker. It took so much strength to look at that small piece of concrete without feeling so dead and cold inside. Bunnie and Sally laid down their flowers and gently hugged each other, crying over their shoulders. The four furry creatures stood back together, examining the headstone with a heavy sigh escaping their hollow hearts.

The tombstone read:

"Matt Barson……Overlander……Hero……Friend"

Sonic and Sally gently held hands, their love filled eyes briefly glanced to one another. A kiss of simple but sweet, innocent affection gently blessed each other's soft lips. Sally smiled to Matt's tombstone and gently kissed the top of it, her eyes blinking back crystal colored tears. The princess sighed.

Sally smiled "This one's for you Matt……

_And now that we're here,  
So far away  
All the struggle we thought was in vain  
And all the mistakes,  
One life contained  
They all finally start to go away  
And now that we're here its so far away  
And I feel like I can face the day  
I can forgive, and I'm not ashamed to be the person that I am today……_

* * *

THE END 


End file.
